Just Ask Her
by batbaby
Summary: A entry for Prompts in Panem. I'm hoping to extend this one too into multiple chapters. What happens when Peeta finally gets the nerve to ask Katniss out and they are in high school, circa now? Starting out innocent but may change rating later on. All in Peeta's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

I'm not sure if I can do this, but if I don't, my brother will kick the shit out of me. I spot Katniss in math class, as always sitting in the back where she thinks no one notices her. She's talking to her friend Madge, smiling about something. I love seeing her smile; I don't catch it enough times during the day. She turns her dark head at just the right moment, catching me watching her, again. I wonder what she thinks of me. She leans over to Madge, asking her something that has to do with me because Madge takes to looking at me too. I sit down quickly, embarrassed that I was caught, again, but this time she has someone near her to talk to about me. That's kind of good, right?

I hear them laughing, which can't be good and 'accidentally' drop my notebook, risking a glance their way. Katniss is watching me this time and I give her a smile, the best one I can muster. She shakes her head and laughs some more. I wish I was close enough to hear what they're saying, but I sit a row over and a few seats ahead of her. Had I been smarter in the beginning of the year, I would have sat next to her or in front of her where I could have heard everything. We still have some time before class actually starts, so I shake my head and get up, walking towards them. They both stop talking and look at me.

"Hi Katniss." Is all I can manage to get out? Really, I've been rehearsing this very moment in my head for days, if not weeks, well technically years. My voice sounds higher than it is, considering it finished changing something like two years ago.

She just smiles, suppressing a laugh. "Afternoon Peeta."

She does know my name. Of course she knows my name; we've been going to the same school since kindergarten. I take a breath, calm myself. Get this over with quick, like a band-aid. "So, ummm, are you…a…you going to the dance?"

"You mean the homecoming dance?" She asks me, her gray eyes beaming with some kind of lightness. She looks at Madge, who just shrugs then looks back up at me.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I know its next week and all, and you might already have a date…" I ramble, shoving my hands in my pockets so I don't have them flaying about.

Katniss just shakes her head, her hand going to her braid and playing with the end of it. "No, I don't have a date. I hadn't really planned on going."

"Oh, oh, okay." I'm just about to turn around and go back to my seat when she asks,

"Why did you want to know?" Her voice sounds curious and lovely.

I take another deep breath in; I really need to just ask her. "Well, I was wondering if you would go with me, be my date?"

She smiles and looks at Madge again. I don't understand why girls do that, why they can't just answer without getting their friends' opinions on everything. Katniss shrugs, "Sure, why not? I've never been to homecoming and Madge has been bugging me to go to some dance for the last two years."

"Really? I mean, you've never been to any of the school dances?" I'm not sure why this surprises me, she isn't really involved with school in any way other than to be here.

She laughs, "No, never really cared about it, but maybe you'll convince me otherwise."

I smile back at her, nodding with stupid enthusiasm. "Maybe. Umm, we'll talk after class, get into more detail?"

She takes a breath in, "No, I have to get my sister. But if you're working at the bakery tonight, I can come in, if that's okay?"

She knows where I work too? Holy crap, I didn't even think she knew I was alive, well, maybe alive, but not that she noticed me enough to know that. I calm myself down again, this time pinching my leg through my jean pocket. Crap, that's going to leave a mark, "Yeah, sure, I'll be there til about nine."

"Okay, then I'll see you later." She tells me just as the teacher walks in and I have to go to my seat. For the rest of the class, I sneak peeks at her more often than usual and every time, she just shakes her head at me, smiles, and points to the front of the class.

When the bell rings, the last class of the day done, I pack up my stuff as slowly as I can, hoping to talk to her some more. She does slow down as she passes my desk and says, "I'll see you later, Peeta."

I smile up at her, thrilled that she's talking to me. I try to keep my voice calm, try to get all of the images that were playing in my head during class out so I can appear normal. "Okay, see you later."

I go to my locker and as I'm bending over to put the books I need to take home in my bag, my locker slams shut. I already know who it is and should really have known better than to have my back to where he comes from his last class of the day.

"Did you do it?" My older brother, Bran, asks as begins punching my shoulder. He's much worse now that our older brother went off to college this year.

I knock his fist away and reopen my locker, "Yes and quit hitting me."

"Holy crap! You actually spoke to her?! That's only been years in the waiting!" He practically yells, gathering a few stares from others milling around the hallway.

"Will you shut up! I said I would do it today and I did, so leave me alone." I hiss at him. I grab the last book I need and shove it in my bag, slinging it over my shoulder.

Bran punches me in the arm hard and runs off, "See you at the car, Peety!"

I just shake my head at him and make my way out to the school's parking lot. The ride to our family's bakery is loud with the radio on and Bran attempting to sing along unsuccessfully. I grab an apron and my homework as I head to the front of the store.

"Oh good, you boys are here." Our mom greets us as I take my place near the register and Bran starts checking the inventory. "Peeta, there's an order for Saturday afternoon, a girl's tenth birthday. She has requested unicorns and fairies."

She hands me the yellow order slip and I look at it. Lucky me, there's even a picture of the kind of fairies she wants. Since it's only Tuesday, I don't have to actually make the cake until tomorrow and start drawing out the unicorn and fairies. I usually so all the decorations, unless we get too many orders, and then my father joins in. But as it's only the beginning of October too, we won't get much in the way of cake. Plenty of cookies and cupcakes for the upcoming Halloween parties, but not whole cakes usually. This is my favorite part of my job, decorating. The best part next to that is seeing the customers' faces when they see what they ordered in frosting and fondant.

I do the sketch quickly and get my mom's nod of approval before I start on my homework. I run the register while trying to answer questions about the civil war. Yep, that's my life. Every time the door opens and our little bell dings, my head pops up because of course I'm hoping that Katniss has come in. My brother keeps making sly comments and my mom tells him to quit bothering me, although I don't know that she actually knows what's going on. Finally, about an hour to closing, the door dings again and when I look up, I see a very tired Katniss walk in.

"Hi." She says, even her voice sounds sleepy. Maybe she was asleep or something?

"Hi." I stand up from my stool and go up to the cookie section. "Want something? It's on the house." I say with a wink. I don't know that where that confidence came from but her full pink lips widen into a smile.

She walks up to the counter and looks into the glass. Looking up at me with her gray eyes, she bites her lip and then asks, "Any cookie?"

I nod with a smile, hoping that my brother doesn't decide to come out from the backroom any time in the next few minutes.

"Which one's the best? In your opinion?" She questions, looking between the oatmeal raisin and the double chocolate chip.

"Well, it depends. When I'm doing homework, I like double chocolate ones. Umm, when I'm hungry for a snack, chocolate chip is always a favorite, but for breakfast I usually grab a couple oatmeal raisins because it'll hold me over until lunch." I'm going over what I like, not what she might like, but then she interrupts,

"Yes, but which is the best?" Her eyes have turned into a stormy gray and I don't know if that means she's annoyed or what, but they are beautiful nonetheless.

No one has ever asked which one I like, so I have to look at our selection of about ten different cookies that we make every single day. "Ummm, honestly, I like the peanut butter the best."

"Then I'll have one of those, please." Katniss responds standing straight and she starts playing with the end of her braid again.

I get a piece of tissue paper and grab the prettiest one, which also happens to be the biggest and hand it over to her. Our fingers graze each other's and instantly begin to feel a tingling sensation through my whole body. I'm pretty sure she feels it too because her eyes go wide all of a sudden and she pulls her hand away quickly. I lean against the counter and watch as she takes a bite of the cookie. I'm not disappointed when the smile spreads across her face for the second time tonight.

"So, who makes these?" She asks once she's swallowed her bite. I go to the small fridge we have for our own personal drinks and food and grab some milk. I pour her some in a small plastic cup and hand it over. "Thanks."

I just nod and answer her, "My dad makes them in morning on the weekdays and I make them on the weekends. It gives him a break."

Katniss continues to nibble on the cookie, nodding and enjoying. "So, what else do you do, besides hand out cookies to girls?"

"Only special girls." I say quietly, as I motion for her to sit at one of the four little tables we have for customers. I come out from behind the counter; we normally don't get anyone in after six anyway. I sit down across from her and start rubbing my fingers together in nervousness.

"What's so special about me?" Her voice isn't so tired anymore and even her face seems more awake. "Why'd you ask me to the dance anyway?"

I wasn't expecting that at all. "Umm, which one do you want me to answer first?"

She smiles and shakes her head, "Whichever one you can."

I nod my head, figuring out which one would be easier to answer. But as I'm all for honesty, why not the first one. "Well, let's just say that I've liked you for a long time and finally got enough guts to ask you to a dance."

"Oookay. So, your guts held you back?" She teases me, smiling. I could look at her for hours if she smiled at me like that all the time.

"Well, yeah. It's stupid, I know, but I've seen you with Hawthorne and thought you two were together until my brother told me otherwise."

"Gale? God no! He's like the brother I never had and because of him, I'm glad I don't have one." She admits, frowning. "So, because you saw me hanging out with Gale, you didn't ask me out sooner?"

"I didn't know that I could." I tell her honestly, shrugging. I start to draw out random designs on the table, another nervous habit. I watch my fingers instead of looking at her when I start to explain more. "I kept seeing you with him after your dad died and just figured I shouldn't bother you."

"Oh." Is all she says in response. "Well, truth be told, he was just easier to hang out with because his dad died a couple of years before mine, we've known each other's families for…..well, forever."

I nod, still not looking at her, drawing phantom pictures on the table. "Him and Madge, I take it?"

She snorts and I have to look at her to understand this revelation. Shaking her dark-haired head, "Madge and I have been friends since the fifth grade; she won't let me not be her friend."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, after my dad died, I didn't feel like hanging out with anyone, especially Madge because she's a pretty happy person and it was annoying. But she calmed down and got me talking about it. But up until now, she's never convinced me as to why I should go to a school dance, much less homecoming." Katniss explains and then she grabs my hand, "Are you nervous about me being here?"

I give her a shy smile, "Like I said I've liked you for a long time."

She shrugs again and shakes her head, "And you finally beat your guts into asking me out? Cute."

"You know, I should start cleaning up, but you can stay here if you want, talk to me while I do it." I tell her as I get up to go back behind the counter. "Why'd you come over here so late anyway?"

"My mom had to work til 7. I watch Prim and had to make dinner for all of us." She says matter-of-factly. She stands up too and for a second I'm afraid that she is going to leave. When she leans herself across the counter, I breathe a sigh of relief. She laughs, "Afraid I was going to go so soon? Not a chance, the only time I'm out of the house, I plan on staying out for longer than half an hour."

"Oh, okay. I take it you finished your homework then?" I mock her as I pack up my book bag first and then get to covering all of the cookies in plastic wrap. "Could you do me a favor and lock the front door? I should have done it about fifteen minutes ago."

She nods and quickly flips the lock and turns the little sign hanging in the window to 'Closed'. "So, you're here every day after school?"

"Well, unless I'm sick, but yeah, every day we come here and we're here all weekend. Well, actually, no, I do have wrestling season in November." I remember as I start packing away the Danishes and pastries.

"That's right; you are all on the team, aren't you?"

"Well, not Jack, since he's at college and all." Bran says, coming out of the storeroom. I wonder how long he's been back there, listening to us, and probably laughing. "So, you must be the Katniss Peeta's been talking about forever. Finally got up enough guts to ask you out, did he?"

She gives him a glowing smile, "And I can see he is nothing like you, so I made the right choice, didn't I?"

I stifle a laugh and Katniss gives me a wink. Bran doesn't let up though, "Huh, smartass are we? That's fine, he'll need you around. I'm done in back, what else needs to be done up here?"

"Just covering up stuff and then we can leave. I'll be walking Katniss home though." I answer him as he just watches Katniss.

"Fine, I'll lock up the register and you should be done by then?" He tells me as he walks past me and punches me in the arm. I hate him sometimes.

Katniss waits until Bran leaves and then looks at me, "Why do you let him do that?"

"What, punch me? If you hadn't noticed, he's a bit bigger than me." I admit, covering up the last of today's freshly baked cookies. We sold a lot so Dad will be busy tomorrow, but that's better than not selling any.

"Yeah, but didn't you almost beat him last year at a match?"

"You saw that?" I can't believe she'd pay attention to that at all.

"Peeta, you aren't the only one who's been watching."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Can't believe I forgot to thank the ever talented Ms. Collins for giving me such great characters to build off of!**

That effectively stops me from continuing what I'm supposed to be doing. I can't help but stutter when I say, "Wh…what?"

She laughs, "Peeta, we've gone to the same schools since kindergarten. I've watched you go from chubby little kid to somehow missing that awkward stage in junior high to…now."

The confidence that I didn't know where it came from returns when I ask her, "And what am I now?"

A blush rises in her cheeks and it makes me blush. She looks down at her feet and then back up at me biting her lip in the first sign of nervousness I've ever seen from her. She clears her throat and then finally answers, "Well, hot baker guy actually."

I can't help the snort that comes from my mouth and repeat her, "'hot baker guy'? Me?"

"Peeta, are you done yet!" Bran yells from the back and I rush the wrapping of the last tray.

"Yeah! We're coming!" I yell back. I go to the front of the store and turn off the lights there. "Come on, we leave through the back door."

Katniss just nods and I have her go in front me as I turn off the lights in the cases too. Not actually meaning to, but not stopping myself either, I look at her from the back. She isn't one of those girls who look like twelve-year-old boys with no shape to them whatsoever. Her waist cinches in and since her hips are wider, it gives her a very curvy look. How have I never noticed this before? Katniss turns her head back to me and I quickly avert my eyes to hers, though I can feel my blush heating my cheeks. She just smiles at me and I'm more than sure she knows I was looking at her butt. Bran is waiting, tapping his foot as if we're going so slowly.

We go out of the door and I say to her, "Lead the way, Katniss."

"I'll see you when you get home, Peety!" Bran calls out as he gets into his car and drives off.

We wrap around to the front of the store and start walking towards her house. "So, you didn't answer me, I'm a 'hot baker guy'?"

"You're not going to drop it, are you?" She asks me back, bringing her braid to her front and playing with it again.

"Ummm, no." I answer with a smile. She smiles back though and turns herself around so that she's walking backwards, facing me.

"Do you have to go straight home?" She questions.

"Well, I wouldn't be walking you home if I did." I point out.

She rolls her gray eyes and shakes her head, "Fine, smartass. Let me rephrase; can we go and sit down at the park over there?"

I look to where she's pointing and sure enough it's the park that I used to play soccer in when I was younger. "Yeah, sure. You really don't want to go home, do you?"

"As long as I'm back by ten on a school night, I won't get into trouble." She explains as we change our direction. Katniss goes straight to the swings, hopping onto one and kicking at the sand beneath her feet. I sit in the one next to her and watch her feet.

"You seem like you want to talk about something other than the dance. Am I allowed to ask what that may be?" I boldly inquire. I make sure I'm making eye contact when she lifts her head to answer.

"Well, you said that you've liked me for a long time. How long? I mean, we've known each other forever, I just wondered when you started liking me." Her voice is low, but because it's just us out here, I can hear her just fine.

I tilt my head to the side, debating how much more I can embarrass myself. "Truth be told, it's been something like ten years."

"Ten years!? But that means, freaking…in kindergarten?" Her voice shoots up a notch and so do her dark eyebrows.

I can't help but laugh at not only her expression, but also how insane that sounds. "Yeah, well, I think the teacher asked who knew any songs and instead of raising your hand, you just started singing."

"I don't even remember liking boys when I was that young. Isn't that supposed to be when girls have cooties anyway?" She asks with a smile and laughter in her voice.

"Well, I didn't think you did. Course, there was Delly who was always trying to give me kisses. It was annoying even back then." I admit to her, shaking off the memory of an old friend.

"I remember that! I always wondered about you two. Didn't you date for a little while?"

"One date and it was horrible. I took her a dance back in junior high and she kept telling everyone that we were meant to be and hanging onto my arm the whole time. I couldn't take it and ended up ditching her and walking home by myself. My mom yelled at me for an hour after I showed up." I shake myself again, not fond memories.

Katniss starts laughing, "Wow, that would explain why she kept trash talking you. You know, she still talks crap about you? It's weird because I couldn't imagine you doing anything mean to anyone."

"Well, that was the meanest thing I ever did to anyone and pretty much the last mean thing I did." I start to pump my legs underneath me and get the swing moving slightly. Katniss does the same and we swing slowly.

"Figures, I don't think I've ever seen you be mean to anyone, ever. It doesn't bother you that she says crap about you?"

I shrug, "Why should it? It was like four years ago, besides, I never liked her the way I liked you."

"Peeta, what is it that is so special about me?" She asks again.

"Why have you been watching me?" I retort.

She takes a deep breath in and slowly blows it out. "Well, it probably started when I noticed that you and father brought over a lot of baked goods for us after my dad died. It was just you two with loaves of fresh bread and some cookies and muffins. I remember your dad telling my mom how sorry he was about losing my dad and how to freeze everything so they would last longer. And you were there in our kitchen, drawing a picture with Prim."

I nod my head, "I remember that. I think my dad knew your parents in high school or something. Prim looked so sad and I figured drawing and coloring would cheer her up at least a little. You seemed mad though, so I focused on her."

There's a moment of silence as we listen to the creaking of the old swing set. "I was mad. I was mad for such a long time, but all that did was drain me. It's weird that being mad takes more energy out of you than being happy. I figured that out about after a year and Madge trying her best to just be my best friend, even if she couldn't talk as much."

"About that; why decide to go to a dance with me when she's been trying to get you to go for the last two years?" I change the direction, hoping she'll go with it. She doesn't disappoint.

"Because she kept wanting me to go with Gale and like I said, he's more like a big brother. I mean, yeah, I hang out with him, but dance with him? Nah, no thanks. Besides, I guess in a way I was waiting for you to ask me. I already knew that you'd been watching me, I just couldn't figure out what you were waiting for."

"So, why didn't you just ask me out?" I blurt out before I think about it.

She giggles, "I guess I was too nervous to. It seems stupid now, but I kept thinking you would do it any day, and truth be told, I'm glad I waited."

I don't know how to respond to that, so instead, I stop swinging and get off of my seat and stand before her. She quickly stops herself and I let out, "I've been waiting to do something else for a long time too."

Katniss looks up at me, the lamp post light hitting her gray eyes just right. I lean down and give her a gentle kiss on the lips. I'm about to pull back when one of her hands snakes behind my head and she pulls me back, standing up in the process and making it easier on my back. Her lips are soft and warm and wet and she tastes like peanut butter. It's a nice combination.

When we finally break apart, breathing heavily, Katniss says, "I'm really glad you waited."


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, Katniss is really surprising me tonight. I've liked her for such a long time, but didn't know more than most people do about her. Yeah, her dad died a few years ago, if she's not with her younger sister, she's with Gale or Madge, and she helps her mom out a lot. But I never knew that she came to see me at matches or remembered that my family owns a bakery. It doesn't matter though really; we're here now, standing in a park, having just shared our first kiss. I had played and replayed the daydream in my head for so long that I didn't think I'd ever do it. But I finally did and it was so much better than I imagined.

"Not that I really want to, but shouldn't I be getting you home soon?" I ask Katniss, still standing in front of her, my lips continuing to tingle from touching hers.

A lazy smile comes to her deep pink lips and she answers, "Yeah, I guess we should go."

I don't even think about it, but grab her hand and hold it in mine. At first she looks down at our hands together and then entwines her fingers with mine, the smile still on her face. "Tonight isn't anything like I thought it would be. I figured we were just going to talk about what colors we might wear and who would drive or something."

She laughs, "It's not like I planned any of this, Peeta. I'm just as surprised as you were when I kissed you back. Not to say that I didn't enjoy that though."

"Definitely not. Did you tell your mom yet that I asked you to Homecoming?"

"Did you tell yours?" She sure does like to shift the topic back to me.

I shake my head, "No, she was pretty much waiting to leave when we got there. She gave me an order for Saturday and then left."

"Well, if my mom's still awake, I'll tell her, otherwise it'll be tomorrow night." Katniss looks down at or hands again, "So, I guess this means we're dating?"

"Only if you want it to. I mean, I'd like to be your boy-friend, but…."

"Peeta, I was being sarcastic. Of course I want to be dating you. Like I said, you weren't the only watching and I think I've earned at least something more than a dance from you." She explains, still smiling. My face is hurting from how much I've smiled tonight and it's the best kind of pain to be in.

I feel the heat rise on my face again. "Right. Well, then, I guess I have plenty to tell my parents tomorrow night."

"Yeah, no shit, my mom's probably going to freak out." She claims as we turn down a street lit with small houses. I forgot that they had moved not too long after Katniss' dad died because her mom couldn't afford the bigger house anymore.

"Why would she freak out?" I'm curious if this is good or bad.

"Well, seeing as the only guy she's ever known me to even hang out with is Gale, she'll be surprised that not only am I actually going to Homecoming this year, but I have a boy-friend too. It may just be too much for her to handle." Katniss comes to a stop before a thin two-story house. I can't tell what color it's supposed to be because it's so dark out, but there is a small garden in front and fall decorations on the porch. "Well, this is me. I hope you have a safe walk back home, I feel kind of guilty you walking me this late."

"Why? I live like three blocks that way?" I assure her, pointing to my right.

"That close, really? I always thought you lived further away for some reason."

"Yeah, a lot of people think we live really close to the bakery usually. Some thought we lived in the apartment above it." I tell her as we walk up her front steps. The air is fragrant with the fall flowers on their porch.

"There's an apartment up there?" She asks as she fishes her keys out of her pocket. I hadn't noticed, but she wasn't carrying a purse or anything like most girls do at our school. The porch light is soft, casting a warm glow on Katniss' already tan skin.

I nod, "My mom and dad lived there before they had us. Well, they had Jack there, but got a bigger place when she got pregnant again." I scratch my head, not really knowing what to do with my hands as she fiddles with her keys. Then I continue to talk about nothing important. "My dad stays there overnight sometimes when we get a lot of special orders, mainly during the holidays."

Katniss nods her dark head. "That makes sense. Well, thank you for walking me home, Peeta. I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

I take a step closer, "Of course. If you want, I can come over and walk you to school in the morning."

She smiles and takes a step closer as well. "That's sweet, but I have to take Prim to school first and doesn't Bran drive you anyway?"

I frown but nod, "Yeah, he does. Then I'll see you at school."

I take that last step between us and give her a soft kiss. That electricity hits me again and by the look on her face when I pull back, she's felt it again too. She turns and unlocks the door, giving me a small wave good-bye before shutting it.

I wait until I hit the bottom step before I literally jump for joy. Luckily no one is there to see me, because I'm sure they'd laugh at my stupidity. I was happy enough when she said yes to Homecoming but now we're actually dating! My day can't get any better than this.

When I get home about ten minutes later, I'm surprised to find my dad awake. But he's got all of his bills and checkbooks spread out over the dining room table and I understand. He'll be teaching me the accounting soon since Jack had been doing it before he left for college. Without looking up from his bills and calculator, my father says,

"Bran said you had some good news today."

I lean over one of the dining room chairs, my smile probably wider than it ought to be. "Yeah, I'm going to Homecoming with Katniss Everdeen."

He looks up from over the rims of his glasses, his blue eyes tired but still warm. He smiles, "Congratulations, Peeta, I know you've liked her for a long time now."

"Yeah and," I start to walk away from him to go to my room upstairs, "she's agreed to be my girl-friend."

**A/N - I'm having a lot of fun writing from this perspective, something totally new for me! Hope you all are enjoying!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - Thank you Ms. Collins for your wonderful characters and letting us amateur writers take them to other places! Had to change the rating, better safe than sorry.**

When I wake up the next morning, I go over what happened the night before, making sure it wasn't a dream of any kind. I touch my lips and thinking about the kiss, I blush at what else is awake right now. It's not like I can help it, haven't been able to since I was like eleven or something. It's a good thing that once Jack moved out, Bran got his room and I got a room all to myself, because I have no doubt in my mind that he would pummel me right now just to do it. I get up and get into the shower as quickly as I can; making sure it's really cold. Kind of stupid as it's getting cooler outside, but I can't get on with my day like this. Course, I could just take care of it, but I think it would take longer than the whole shower. And while I'm debating myself about it, the shower's done and I'm getting dressed, ready to go to school and see Katniss, my girl-friend.

Since our parents are already at the bakery, Bran and I are left to fend for ourselves as always for breakfast. Cereal and toast are a specialty for us unless it's wrestling season and we tend to bulk up for that. I've already put on fifteen extra pounds of muscle over the summer just so I can get into the next division and Jack practiced with me in order to get me ready. Bran was always teasing me until I beat him one day sparring. Though he still picks on me, he won't practice with me anymore because of it.

"So, now that you've finally got a date for Homecoming, who do you think's gonna take you?" Bran sure knows how to start the day off right.

I shrug, "I don't doubt that her friend Madge is already going, but we haven't talked about the details yet."

"Then what the hell was she at the bakery for last night?" He asks as he shoves a spoonful of Lucky Charms in his mouth. His phone starts vibrating and Katy Perry's 'Last Friday Night' starts playing. He picks it up, "Hey baby…"

And off he goes. I finish my breakfast and grab my backpack, waiting for him outside as he talks to his girl-friend of six months. Finally, after fifteen minutes, Bran is off the phone and we can get going. I realized while I was waiting that I don't even have Katniss' number and I'll have to remedy that when I see her in a few minutes.

"So anyway, what the hell you two talk about last night?" He asks in his oh-so-delicate way.

"Stuff." Why should I tell him, it's Jack who I always shared stuff with.

He smacks me in the shoulder, "Oh come one! You've been hot for this girl forever! You're not going to tell me anything?"

"Quit hitting me and maybe I would." I retort glaring at him as much as I can.

Bran puts his hands up in surrender for a moment before grabbing the wheel again. He wouldn't want to wreck his precious 2005 Chevy Malibu. "Fine, I'll stop being a prick. You'll need my advice anyways since I'm more experienced and all."

I stifle a laugh because I heard about his "experience". He shoots me a dirty look. "Alright! We talked about when her dad died and we hung out at the park for a little bit."

"Oh, well, that's kinda boring actually. Eh, whatever, it'll get better." He assures me. Course, I already know that much.

We arrive and I hurry out of the car to get to my locker. Katniss is already standing by it, waiting for me as she watches people go by. When she spots me, a smile spreads across her face. Her hair is pulled back in a braid, as it almost always is and she's got her Tinkerbell messenger bag slung over her shoulder.

I stop right in front of her, unsure if I should give her a kiss or not. She answers for me by giving me a quick peck on the lips. "Morning, Peeta."

I almost tumble over my own words, so I keep it simple. "Hi, Katniss. Have you been waiting long?"

She moves over a little so I can open my locker and switch out books. She shrugs, "About five minutes, no biggie. I wasn't sure how early you get here."

"Yeah, well, it's usually earlier, but Bran's girlfriend called." I mane sure she understands how annoyed I was about it by exaggerating my eye roll. "Which makes me wonder how I didn't get your phone number last night?"

"Gimme your phone, I'll put it in." She replies holding her hand out.

I dig it out of my back pocket and hand it to her. She looks up at me, "Password?"

I smile at her, "I don't know if I should give it to you so soon."

She laughs, a great sound, any time of day apparently. "Why? Afraid I'll find dirty pictures on here?"

"Anything's possible when Bran sends me stuff." I tell her and she just rolls her gray eyes. "It's 786738."

"So simple." She replies sarcastically. "Does it stand for something?"

"Sunset actually." I tell her as I zip up my bag and close my locker. "What's your first class?"

"I know you know which class is first, Peeta, don't act all innocent." She replies, not even looking up from my phone as her lithe fingers type in letters and numbers. It scares me that she knows I know though. We start walking towards the science wing, where she has chemistry. I don't have that class until third period, but at least we'll see in each other in advanced English during second period and then algebra 2 as our last class.

"Alright, fine, I won't play dumb. What else do you know that I know about you?" She hands me back my phone just as I hear "Diamond" by Rihanna coming from her bag. She grabs it out, encased by Tinkerbell. I guess part of me knew that she liked the little fairy.

"See, you're in my phone now too." Katniss smiles as she reads whatever text she sent herself from my phone. She replies back and then my phone starts up with "Glad You Came" from The Wanted. I'm not sure if she thinks of the same thing when I hear that song, but I know it's not for the innocent. I look at my phone and check her text.

"So are we going to be one of those texts all the time couples?" I ask her instead of texting her back.

She shakes her head, "Nah, just wanted to make sure you knew which song was mine is all. Do you like my choice?"

I look at her and she has this wicked grin on her face which tells me that she knows about the hidden message in the song as well. I laugh and nod, "Yeah, it's a good one. I'll see you in English then."

We stop in front of her classroom and she looks into it, then back at me kind of sadly, "Alright, I'll see you next period, Peeta."

"English it is then." I reply, putting my hand to the side of her face, tucking back a stray piece of dark hair. She leans into my palm and smiles. "Later, Katniss."

"Later." She turns to go into her class and I head back the way we came to go to American History.

My best friend, Thresh, is sitting in his usual seat, talking to one of the girls, which is also usual. He sees me and this big knowing smile spreads across his dark face. I take my seat in front of him and he leans over his desk to talk into my ear. "Heard a rumor about you."

I turn around after taking my notebook and book out, "Yeah, what was that?"

"That you finally got the balls to ask out Everdeen." He says his brown eyes lit up. He's pretty much always happy, which is probably why all the girls flock to him so easily.

I nod, "Yeah, we're going to Homecoming together."

He slaps me on the back, harder than I think he meant to and with a booming laugh, "Bout damn time, man!"

"Yeah, well, it would make sense since she agreed to date me and all." I sneak in. His jaw drops for a second.

"Holy crap, what? Wow, you're good man. How'd you convince her to do that?" He teases me, knowing just how long I've liked her, just like everyone else seems to.

I shake my head at him, "Just asked. I think she's liked me for awhile too. At least it seems that way."

Just as Thresh is about to ask me more, the teacher comes in and announces that we'll be having a pop quiz. Even that won't ruin my ride on cloud 9.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – I'm going to apologize now, when I text people, I still use proper English (mostly), so that's how Peeta and Katniss will do it for this story as well. Plus, I won't have to actually look up the abbreviations for words or explain what they mean for those of us who are old school.**

When history is over, Katniss and I end up running into each other in the hallway.

"Were you going to meet up with me by my class?" She asks as we go side by side to English.

How does she know these things? "Well, I was thinking about." I answer, trying to avoid hitting people as we walk.

"I guess we were on the same page then. How about this? We'll just meet each other before school, in class for the ones we share, lunch of course…"

"Of course," I quickly agree and she smiles and continues.

"Then if we can, meet up with each other in the evenings." She suggests. Apparently she's put some thought into this.

"Why can't I walk with you when you get Prim from school?"

She shakes her head, "Nah, you have to get to the bakery, relieve your parents. Besides, maybe when wrestling practice starts, I can just bring her with me and we can do our homework in the gym."

I think about it for a minute, loving the idea but reminded of something else, "The coach is kind of weird about girlfriends being around; thinks we'll get too distracted."

"You never seemed to notice before," She mentions as we stop by her locker for a minute.

"You came to my practices?" I guess she really wasn't kidding when she said I wasn't the only one watching.

As she's switching out science books for English and her Spanish class after, she looks at me with a crooked smile, "Not all of them. Just a few, which makes me wonder why you let your brother beat you up. I've seen you both in matches, you have better tactics."

I look at her, wondering what else she's caught on to and smile, "Don't ever tell Bran that. He'd flip out."

Katniss laughs, her white teeth almost perfectly straight considering she never had to wear braces. This I definitely know for a fact. She slams her locker shut and replies, "Bran so doesn't scare me. But I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Thank you." We get to our class and since the teacher has never cared where we sit, I follow Katniss to the back where she usually resides. She doesn't object, just smiles as we pull our notebooks out.

A few people look and whisper. How is it that the popular wrestler who has never been seen with any girl really ends up with the super quiet girl who always hides in the back of the class? A few of the guys nod their heads at me, probably assuming we're hooking up, while the girls are eyeing her like she's competition. Except those girls are wrong; I've never compared Katniss to any of them because she's already a better person than all of them combined.

The teacher turns off the lights as she comes in and I remember that today is a movie day. We're watching the sixties version of Romeo and Juliet. I don't mind the one with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, though they do sound kind of stupid when they talk. It's the perfect time to hide our phones under our desks and text each other, so that's just what I do, making sure my screen is dimmed and the volume turned off.

I send her a simple question first. 'what's your favorite color?'

I watch as her head drops down and her fingers reply quickly to her phone. When my phone vibrates, I almost laugh out loud at her answer. 'seriously?'

'seriously.'

'green"

'is that why you like Tinkerbell too, cause she's a green fairy?'

I hear her giggle and look over at her and then the teacher who has shushed whomever made the noise. 'no, I like Tinkerbell cause she's awesome, duh!'

I stifle another laugh. Katniss is going to get me in trouble with her replies. I look over at the teacher and she's busy looking for the noisy kids. I pretend to watch the movie as my fingers type out the next question. 'will your dress be green too then?'

'dunno yet. supposed to go with madge this weekend to find one. why, are you going to match me?'

'i'll need to know for the corsage at least. i think the matching thing is more for prom.'

'already planning that far ahead?'

Seriously, she's going to get me caught if I really end up laughing. 'just a fact.'

'i'll take your word for it. so, what's your fav color?'

'same color as my password.'

'really, sunset?'

'you catch on quick'

'i try'

Just then the teacher stops the movie and starts asking questions about the scene we just watched. I haven't been paying attention, so I put my head down, which will most likely get me called on. But she ends up calling on Katniss and Katniss doesn't even seem like she's been missed anything. How is that possible when we were texting?

"Okay, Miss Everdeen, do you believe love at first sight is possible?" How ironic that she's asking Katniss this question, I so would have had my answer in a heartbeat.

"Not personally, but it is a sweet notion." She answers calmly.

"Do you think that Romeo was truly in love with Juliet the first time he saw her?"

Katniss grabs the end of her braid, playing with it. "I think that he fell in love with her beauty, but he didn't know her, so how could he fall in love with someone he doesn't know?"

A couple of the girls who were eyeing Katniss earlier snicker and I shoot them dirty looks that they can't really see anyway. The teacher is impressed though and waves down the noise. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, he only sees her at the party, this pretty young girl, who has conveniently distracted him from the girl he liked two seconds ago. True love can't be that fickle, at least I would hope it isn't." The teacher nods her head and restarts the movie.

'so you don't think that I could have fallen in love with you when I first saw you?' I text her immediately.

'you said it was after you heard me sing, so it's different.' She answers back quickly.

'damn, that's right! well, it could have been how cute you were with two braids that really did me in though, you know'

Katniss giggles and completely ignores the teacher's eyes wandering around. She looks over at me and even though she's still looking at me, she sends me another text. 'you like braids huh?'

'only on you'

'liar'

'how would you know otherwise?'

'because every guy has that fantasy of seeing a girl in a short skirt and their hair in pigtails. even Brittany spears used that to her advantage back in the day'

I can't answer her because I would be lying if I said that I hadn't had that dream more than once. So, instead she texts me again, 'i'm right, aren't i?'

'yeah, well, can't help it'

'have you pictured me in that kind of get up?'

'i don't even think i've seen you in a skirt before'

'doesn't matter, you're an artist, you can make things up'

'how do you know I'm an artist?'

'because i've seen your stuff from art class, i know you draw and paint and you were doodling on the table last night'

'you sure do pay attention'

'i try'

Luckily, the next three times the teacher calls on people to ask questions, it's not me, because I haven't paid attention to the movie at all.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - Thank you Ms. Collins, thank you so much.**

For the next two days, Katniss and I meet up in the mornings, between classes when we can, sit next to each other in English, eat lunch together, and chat before and after math class since I can't change seats. She comes to the bakery when her mom gets home and stays while I close up so I can walk her home afterwards. I get to officially meet her mother and sister Saturday. Ms. Everdeen insisted that I come over and have dinner with them since Katniss has been spending so much time with me in the last few days and she hasn't seen me since her husband died.

Saturday morning, I put the final touches on the little girl's birthday cake; chocolate cake with strawberry filling, rainbow colored icing to go with her fondant unicorn topper. I spray painted in the fairies on the side to make it look like they were looking up to the white unicorn on top. I'm pretty proud of myself when her mother comes to pick it up and insists on giving me a $10 tip for it being so well done. My father nods his head and turns away so that he doesn't actually witness the exchange. My mother would have said no to it. We have a tip jar that we all divvy up between us at the end of the week.

I spend the rest of the day baking a few more cookies and getting batches ready for tomorrow morning. We usually get people in before church, grabbing cookies and muffins by the dozen for the little meet and greets they have. It's usually our busiest day of the week and we close by two to enjoy the rest of the day however we wish.

By four o'clock, I'm getting restless and my father tells me to go so I can get ready for dinner at Katniss' house. He doesn't seem to mind that he hasn't really met her yet. My mother hasn't said anything, so I don't know if that's good or bad yet. They are always gone by the time Katniss makes her way through the bakery's door. Of course, she does come in late. I grab an assorted array of cupcakes that my father and I had made earlier for this dinner and he waves me good-bye.

When I get home, my mother is reading one of her romance novels in a chair in the living room. Without looking up, she asks, "Getting ready for your dinner?"

I stop on my way up the stairs, "Yea, Dad is at the bakery with Bran until six."

"Are you really seeing that Katniss girl? Actually taking her to the Homecoming dance?" The tone in which she asks me the question makes me turn around and stand in the entry way to look at her.

"What do you mean, 'that Katniss girl'?" I reply.

My mother looks up, "Well, she was with that older boy for a while; I'm just surprised that you didn't stick with Delly longer."

I scoff at the idea of me and Delly and my mother shakes her head at me. "That was never going to work and I don't even talk to her, like, ever. And Katniss was never 'with' Gale, they're just friends."

"Is that what she told you? And what's wrong with Delly, she's a nice girl, a good girl." My mother thinks that Katniss slept with Gale. At least I'm pretty sure that's what's going through her head with the way her lips are pursed together.

"Yeah, well, Delly is actually kind of a bitch and Katniss isn't with Gale. I have to go get ready." I tell her as I turn away from her gasp at my language.

I open my closet door, trying to figure out if I'm supposed to dress nice or not, but opt for a pair of clean, untorn dark jeans and a light blue button up with a striped tie to go with. Good way to dress up jeans. I jump into the shower, thinking about what my mom said. I don't know why she would think that after so many years of ditching Delly at a dance, I would even be interested in her. For some reason, she has always thought that I belonged with her and I can't even figure out why. Bran knows what happened; he and Jack made plenty of fun of me.

I forgo putting on cologne because Katniss let it slip that she likes how I smell normally. Something about clean and cinnamon. I straighten my tie, roll up my sleeves, and check my hair once more. I got a haircut right before school started, so the curls are starting to show up again already. Practically skipping down the stairs, I notice my mother has retreated to somewhere else in the house. I grab a light leather jacket out of the front closet, have the box of goodies in my hands, and head over to Katniss' house.

I'm nervous but excited too as I try to slow down my pace there. My excitement wins out though and I end up being twenty minutes early. I ring the doorbell anyway, not sure which Everdeen lady will answer the door. It doesn't surprise me when I see a blond head peek out the side window though. Prim yells out just as she opens the door wide,

"Katniss! Peeta's here! And he brought something!"

"I'll be down in a minute!" I hear Katniss answer back loudly from somewhere upstairs.

Mrs. Everdeen walks out from the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron. She's rolling her eyes and holds one small hand out, "Peeta, it's so nice to see you again. My, but you've grown. Sorry about the girls yelling, you'd think no one ever comes over here."

I shake her hand, smiling, "Its okay, Mrs. Everdeen. Here, I brought some cupcakes for dessert."

Prim takes the box that I hold out for her mother and takes them to the kitchen, mumbling, "That's because no one but Madge or Gale comes over."

Mrs. Everdeen shakes her blond head, holding her hand out to guide me, "Go ahead and take a seat in the living room, Peeta. Katniss should be down in a few minutes. You can put your jacket anywhere."

I do as she suggests, putting my jacket over the back of the couch and sit down. I try to get comfortable, but until I see Katniss, I know I'm just going to be nervous. A minute later, Prim comes out of the kitchen again and sits in a recliner across from me. She gives me a small smile and then plays with her braids much like Katniss does.

"So, you and Katniss are going to Homecoming together?" She asks in a small voice, a voice that belongs to the twelve-year-old girl that she is.

I nod, sitting up straighter, "Yeah, I am."

"You know her friend Madge has been trying to get her to go to a dance forever, but she always said no." Prim informs me, leaning forward.

I lean forward to and whisper, "I know, Katniss told me about that. Why do you think she said yes to me?"

Prim lowers her voice even more, "Because she likes you."

I of course know this already too, but want to see if anything new comes up. "Did she tell you that?"

She giggles, "Not me, but she's told Madge before. Last year she kept talking about you and how good you were at wrestling. I don't know what she was talking about though, something about a unitard?"

I feel the blush rise in my cheeks, the uniforms are hideous but of course required. You would think that after all these years, they'd come up with something better. "Yeah, well, the season starts up again next month, so I'm sure she'll bring you to a match or something."

Just then I hear footsteps on the stairs and get up to wait for Katniss at the bottom. I'm almost there as I see her legs, uncovered by pants for the first time that I can remember. She's wearing a short brown skirt with a wide matching belt and a light blue, green, and pink flowery top. It doesn't seem much like her though; she doesn't seem the flowery girl type. But I like it anyway, because this is the first time I have ever seen her in a skirt and I am so not disappointed. Her legs are surprisingly tan and long, the small heel on her shoes making her muscles work a bit. And she's let her dark brown hair down. She's beautiful and she probably has no idea the effect it has on me.

Katniss gives me a warm smile when she sees me at the bottom waiting for her and stops at the second to last step. Holding her arms out, "What do you think? I borrowed it from Madge."

I look at her up and down, drawing out how I will answer, but I know my smile gives me away. "I like you in a skirt, you're very pretty."

She looks down at her feet and takes the last two steps, standing right in front of me. I give her a small hug hello and kiss her cheek, knowing that Prim is watching us from the living room.

"Prim, come in here and help me get dinner out please." Mrs. Everdeen calls out. Prim jumps up from her chair and rushes to the kitchen and I'm about to offer my help as well when Katniss pulls me back and gives me a not so chaste kiss on the lips.

She lets go of me just as her mother walks out, setting a nice sized roast on the dining table. Prim follows her with a bowl of mashed potatoes. Katniss brushes past me to help them as I try to will all the blood from leaving my head to go to another area. My jeans aren't baggy enough to hide that much. I'm about to offer my help again as Mrs. Everdeen walks back from the kitchen with some rolls and tells me, "Peeta, sit down. You're our guest."

I take a seat as Katniss brings out two clear jugs, one with water and the other iced tea. Then she sits across from me as her mother and Prim sit at the heads of the table.

"Well, Peeta, we don't do grace or anything, but you are more than welcome to. Just help yourself and dig in." Mrs. Everdeen instructs as she grabs the potatoes first.

I shake my head, "Nah, we're pretty much always at the bakery."

She smiles and once everyone's plate is full and the glasses are filled as well, Mrs. Everdeen asks, "So, Peeta, I haven't been by the bakery in quite some time, how are your parents?"

I swallow my first forkful and answer, "They're fine. It'll be picking up soon with the holidays coming up. This is usually when they have to hire extra help since Bran and I start wrestling soon."

"Good, good. And your oldest brother is away this year?" She asks, nodding her head.

"Yeah, Jack started at Penn State this year; he got in on a wrestling scholarship. I think mom was a little sad, but she got over it." I admit. I've always thought that Jack was her favorite.

Mrs. Everdeen looks over at Katniss after she takes a bite of her food, "The roast came out good honey. Katniss pretty much does all of the cooking around here."

I nod and smile over at Katniss, who has a slight blush to her cheeks from the compliment. There's a little bit of dinnertime silence as we eat before Prim starts talking about wanting to go see a movie that just came out. Mrs. Everdeen is trying to politely get her to stop bothering her about it.

"Well, Katniss and I could take her, I mean if it's okay?" I offer. Katniss nods her head slightly, letting me know that it's fine with her.

"That's very sweet of you Peeta, but don't you work at the bakery all the time?" Mrs. Everdeen asks, helping herself to another dinner roll.

I shrug, "We close at two tomorrow, so I have all afternoon."

"And your homework? Katniss mentioned a paper due in English." She sounds like my mother, but nicer.

"Mom, he wouldn't offer if he had a bunch of other stuff to do." Katniss interjects. It's not entirely true, though my paper is almost done.

"Yeah, really, I get a lot of downtime at the bakery, so most of my homework is done there. It's only during wrestling season when it becomes a hassle and then I really have to stay on top of it so I don't get kicked off." I chime in because that is true.

"Well, okay, if you two want to take her tomorrow. I'll even let you borrow the car since I don't have to work." She informs us.

"Yes!" Prim cries out even though we haven't set a time yet. The rest of dinner goes by, the four of us making idle chit chat about school, the upcoming dance, and how Prim can't wait to see her movie.

After the cupcakes are eaten and everyone is contentedly full, Mrs. Everdeen hands Katniss a set of keys and says, "Be home by eleven-thirty."

"Mom, I'm sixteen." Katniss replies, grabbing a jacket out of the closet.

"Exactly. Eleven-thirty. Peeta, it was nice having you over, hopefully we can do it again soon." She tells me shaking my hand.

"Dinner was really good. I'll bring something different next time." I respond, shaking her hand back and grabbing my jacket on.

"Well, most of that was Katniss, like I said, but thank you anyway."

"I'll be right back, I need to grab my wallet and phone," Katniss announces as she runs up the steps quickly.

"Eleven-thirty, Peeta." Mrs. Everdeen warns me and walks away to the kitchen where Prim has already started to clean up.

Katniss comes back down in a rush. She looks around the corner and tilts her head to the front door, "C'mon, let's get out of here."

Once we're in her mother's Toyota Camry, letting it heat up on this cool autumn night, I turn to Katniss and ask, "Where are we going?"

"I don't know, but just not staying here. Do you have any ideas?" She replies with a slight twinkle in her gray eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N – Warning, underage drinking, possible drug use, plenty of swearing.**

Oh crap, the girl I've liked forever is asking me where I'd like to go? Well, I've got plenty of ideas, but I'm pretty sure we're not that far into our relationship for her to go along with it. Pretty much all of my dreams involving Katniss in the last two years and especially since we kissed a few days ago have been nothing short of x-rated. I mean, holy crap, I've wanted her for such a long time and I know this isn't what she's asking for. Well, I wouldn't think so anyway. She doesn't seem like the type. But who knows? Maybe she is and I just have to ask to find out.

"Well, we could go hang out at the park." I suggest, better safe than sorry.

She shakes her head, "I knew I should have changed into jeans, it'll be too cold to be in this skirt to be outside."

If only I was that lucky. I take a deep breath, "Umm, my friend Thresh is having a party tonight."

"Now that's what I'm talking about! I knew I didn't just wear this for you." She teases with a smile and touches my arm. Dropping her hand, she looks at me, "Maybe you should drive there, unless it's really easy to get to?"

"Nah, he lives close to my house, it's easy to find." I let her know. She nods and I start telling her which way to go as she pulls out of the spot in front of her house. "So, you like going to parties?"

She shakes her head again, her hair falling over her shoulders, "Never been to one actually. But Thresh has always been nice to me and you two have been friends for awhile now, haven't you?"

"Well, yeah, we met in eighth grade. There'll be drinking there, you'll be okay if I have a beer or two?"

Without taking her eyes off of the street, she scoffs at me, "As long as I get to have at least one drink. Madge and I have had a few drinks when her parents aren't home. I won't have more than that since I'm driving though."

I nod at her, such self-control for a teen-aged girl. I hardly ever hear about that. Thresh's parties have been known to get loud and packed pretty quick, so I should probably let Katniss know as well. "His house isn't much bigger than yours, so I have no doubt that it's full already."

She shrugs her shoulders, already turning down the street we need to be on. "Well, he's popular. I mean, I swear I see him with a flock of girls around him at any given time."

I laugh loudly at that because it's too true. "Yeah, except he can never decide which girl he actually wants to date, so he has to literally keep a date book. It's sad really."

"Why sad?" Katniss asks, looking at me quickly before finding his house. It'd be hard to miss with all the lights and music blasting. The cops are rarely called since everyone loves Thresh's family. That and his dad is on the town council.

"Well, because he hasn't found just one girl who makes him happy. He gave me some crap about you can only be young once, so why not take advantage. He's gonna get himself in trouble someday going by that theory." I admit.

"You think he'll knock somebody up?" She asks, finding a parking spot about a block away. She turns off the car and hands me her wallet, stuffing her phone in between her wide belt and top. "Hang on to my wallet; I don't have any pockets in this thing."

"No, not that, just, I wouldn't be surprised if someone ends up literally fighting for him at some point and he'll have to choose." As I get out of the car, I put her wallet in my front pocket and wait for her to lock up the car. I hold out my hand for her as she comes over to my side and she grabs it instantly. "Well, this should be interesting; I've never been to any of his parties with someone before."

"But you come anyway, right? I mean, there's nothing that I'll be freaked out by is there?" Katniss questions, flipping her hair over her shoulder with her free hand.

I let out a strange laugh and she gives me a weird look, "I don't know, I mean, I've only ever been to his parties really since they're the best. I mean, damn near everyone we hang out with comes to these things. I'm pretty sure he'll be having one after the dance next week."

We start walking towards the house, hearing the music blaring more as we get closer. "Do you even know how to dance?"

"A little, I couldn't tell you how well or anything, Thresh says I'm pretty good for a white guy." I tell her with a laugh. She giggles, so I ask, "What about you?"

"With all the time Prim and have I together, she insists on having dance time for at least half an hour. Her newest thing is that Gangnam Style dance." Katniss admits with a shudder.

Trying not to laugh hard, I get out, "So then you know it well?"

She punches me in the arm, which has some heat behind it, "Shut-up! I spend so much time with her, what other fun stuff would we do?"

I try to step away from her as I say, "Can I come by some time and dance with you guys?"

She doesn't let go of my hand though and punches me in the arm again, then pulls me to her, my lips landing on hers. It wasn't on purpose, but I'm not going to deny that I like it. I pull her into an embrace and the kiss goes a little deeper than it has before. Her arms wrap around my neck and I put my hands at her waist, pulling her closer to me. This is what I've dreamed about, kissing her like this. We brake apart when we hear someone whistle at us.

"Fuck yeah, Peeta!" Yells out one of the guys from the wrestling team. I flip him off easily and give Katniss a small peck on the lips.

"This is what we'll encounter." I warn her as we head into the loudness that is a high school house party.

Almost as soon as we walk through the door, a few of my friends try handing us bottles of beer. I take one, but Katniss shakes her head and someone laughs it off, telling her, "Better to get drunk off of this than whatever Cato is making!"

We walk towards the back of the house, where the kitchen is and people tend to gather no matter what. That's where we find Thresh, Cato, and Finn. Cato's on the team with me and Finn (short for Finnick) graduated years ago, but he always comes into town for Homecoming since he was this town's biggest achievement. He not only graduated with honors, but got a full ride swimming scholarship to the University of Texas in Austin. He's finished with that too and now is in the middle of law school at the University of Michigan. I know more about him than most because he was always coming into the bakery getting cookies for his longtime girlfriend, Annie. She still lives here, which is also why he's always coming back.

Cato nods his head towards Katniss, "I can make you anything, what do you want?!"

"I'll just take one of those!" She answers, pointing to the rainbow-colored filled bathroom cups behind him. He grabs two, handing us each one and then giving one to Thresh and one for himself.

"Bottoms up!" All four of us do the Jell-o shot at the same time and Katniss coughs a little bit after she swallows it. He laughs at her but hands her a water bottle.

"Thanks!" She opens it and gratefully washes her shot down with it. Pointing to the shots again, she asks Cato, "You made them, didn't you?!"

"Hell yeah! Like another?!" He replies handing a couple of girls shots as well.

Katniss shakes her head, "Not anytime soon!"

"Smart decision!" Finnick says, taking a swig from his beer bottle. He gives me a high five over the kitchen island, "What's up, Peeta!? Heard you finally had a girlfriend!"

Katniss looks at me then him, "Seriously? You've never brought a girl with you to these things?"

I shake my head, "Nah, everyone's here anyway."

"I wasn't." She retorts and yanks on my hand, "Let's go dance."

Shaking my head some more, "Have to finish this beer first."

Cato hands me another shot, "Just do this instead, give me your beer! Better watch out though, Thresh's cousin is here and she's been asking about you!"

I roll my eyes and Katniss leans in to ask me, "Thresh's cousin?"

I take my shot, throw the cup into the already full trash can and answer, "Yeah, Thresh's cousin, Rue….."

"She's had a crush on your man for a while, watch out for her!" Cato warns. "She may be small, but she's a tough little one!"

Thresh hits him in the shoulder, knocking Cato back a few steps, "Watch it, dick! She's still family!"

I can feel the heat of the vodka in my throat and making its way to my brain. Good thing we had a pretty big dinner and my stomach's full. Katniss pulls on my hand again and I wave bye to the guys as we head towards the living room. All the furniture has been pushed to the side so that there's plenty of room to dance. More than a few people have gathered here, grinding this way and that to the music pumping from the speakers.

'Let's Go' is just starting up and Katniss takes off her jacket, throwing it onto the arm of a couch. I do the same with mine and I follow her lead as she starts dancing. She has great rhythm and it's easy enough for me to keep up with her as I have my hands on her waist again. When the song changes to one of the Flo Rida ones, she turns her back to me and practically melds into me. I'm so horny right now that if she moved away, it'd be way too obvious how turned on I am by her. The way she's moving isn't helping any and I know she can feel me, there's no way that she couldn't. I feel hot all over and it's not the liquor that's doing it to me now.

I look up over her head and see Cato watching us, a huge smile on his face. I don't like it because I know how he is when he likes something or someone he sees. I shift us so that my back is facing him and Katniss is facing me now. She smiles up at me, her hands on my chest, and keeps dancing, oblivious to anyone else apparently. That is until a petite dark-skinned girl comes up to us and says loudly, "Who the hell is she!?"

**A/N - Yes, little Miss Rue will have an attitude and she isn't going to be twelve, but fifteen just to bring her closer to their age group. So a few of the original characters will be out of character to fit the story.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N - More underage drinking, swearing, general horny boy syndrome.**

Katniss and I stop dancing, a few people watching us as well. I take Katniss' hand and turn us slightly to face Rue, "Rue, this is Katniss, my girlfriend. Katniss, this is Thresh's cousin, Rue."

Katniss holds her hand out politely, "Hi."

Rue just looks at it and then crosses her arms over her brightly colored top. Looking straight at me, "Girlfriend? You kept telling me that you were waiting for someone special. Don't tell me this is her."

Katniss puts her hand back down to her side and I pull her closer to me, wrapping my arm around her waist instead. "This is her actually. Rue, I'm sorry, but I've liked Katniss for a long time now…"

"Bullshit! This can't be the girl that you were holding out for! There's nothing special about her." Rue replies, looking Katniss up and down. I look over my shoulder, Cato, Thresh, and Finnick watching now too.

"Let's all go outside and talk about it, okay?" I suggest but she shakes her curly dark head.

"Nuh-uh. If you can't talk to me here, then forget it!" Sometimes I forget how young she is even though she's only a year younger than us.

Katniss steps forward without really getting out of my hold, "Rue? Listen, this really isn't the place to talk about this. Let's just go outside and Peeta will explain. If you want, I'll stay in here, away from you."

Rue thinks about it for minute and then nods, "You'll stay in here so I can talk to him? For real?"

Katniss nods, "Of course, I'll be in the kitchen with the guys, won't intrude or anything."

I don't know how much I like this, but I guess it sounds good. Rue isn't one to drop things easily. She has had a crush on me since she met me at Thresh's birthday party a couple of years ago. First there was Delly, then Rue. It's kind of weird to me but what can I do?

"That's okay, right, Peeta?" Katniss turns to me finally, asking my permission.

I nod, "Yeah, sure. I'll be right back."

Rue smiles, a giant one, like she's won the biggest prize for a contest. I let her go first so that I can give Katniss a quick kiss, "I'll be right back."

"She'll be fine, Loverboy." Cato claims, walking up to us and throwing his arm around Katniss' shoulder. She looks up at him and shrugs off his arm. I knew he would try something, but I can tell by the look on Katniss' face, she's not interested.

I grab my jacket on the way out, looking back at Katniss one more time as she makes her way to the kitchen. She starts talking to Finnick and I feel better instantly because he has been in love with the same girl for years as well and would never hurt Annie that way.

Once we're outside, Rue turns around and tries to kiss me. I jump back, "What the hell?!"

"Oh come on! Isn't that why you're with her? You want some and since she's older by like, what, a year, you figure it'll be okay?" Rue can be rude, but never have I heard be so crude as well. I figured she must hang out with Thresh too much.

"Umm, no and just because I'm kissing my _girlfriend_ doesn't mean I'll be kissing anyone else." I explain, keeping a good two feet away from her. Rue takes a step forward and I take another back.

"Fine, be that way. You know, I've liked you for a long time and you kept saying no to me." She says, a little bit quieter, calmer.

"I've liked Katniss for a lot longer time and finally got the nerve to ask her out. I didn't think it'd be fair to anyone if I said yes while I still liked her." I say, kicking the ground beneath my feet.

Rue puts her hands in front of her, twisting them together. "So, you never liked me?"

I look up at her face, her brown eyes big like a puppy's. She's trying to make me feel guilty; I've seen her do it to Thresh so he'll give her more of whatever she wants. "Yeah, I mean, not like that, but you're cool. Most of the time."

She giggles, "Yeah, I know I can be a bitch. Thresh won't say it but I know he thinks it."

"Yeah, well, yelling in front of everyone just because you want to isn't going to win anyone over. Listen, you should talk to Katniss, she's really nice and has a little sister, so she knows a hell of a lot more than I do."

"Knows what? How to get over a crush before you were ready to?" Rue asks as she walks away from me.

I don't chase her but I also don't feel good about what she said. I look around, only a few people stopped what they had been doing to take a peek. The only people out here are the ones who are smoking anyway, so I go inside quickly. Rue has disappeared somewhere else in the house and Katniss is still talking to Finnick, holding a red plastic cup in her hand. She sees me and smiles. Finnick stops talking to her and she comes over to me.

"Did it go alright?" She asks me, handing me the cup. I look down at it, giving her a questioning look, "Don't worry, Finnick made it, not Cato."

I nod and take a big gulp. It's sweeter than I would normally care for but I figure Katniss wanted it that way, so I say nothing and hand it back to her. "I guess it'll be fine. She didn't argue with me about it. I've never had to do that before."

"Turn someone down? I doubt that, Peeta." She replies, taking my hand and guiding me back to the living room to dance some more.

Once my jacket is off again, we dance for a few more songs before she tells me that she has to find the bathroom. I tell her where to go and that I'll wait for her in the kitchen. Of course all the guys have been waiting for this moment and pounce on me as soon as she leaves.

"Dude! You didn't tell me she was so hot!" Cato slaps me on the back. I shoot him a dirty look that he shrugs off. He could care less about who he may offend.

"We've all been going to the same school, you see her all the time." I tell him, grabbing another shot. Thresh laughs his booming laugh.

"Yeah, but none of us have ever seen her in skirt, let alone dance. Who knew?" He chimes in.

Cato just feels that he has to add, "Well, you know what they say about the quiet ones."

I punch Cato in the arm hard, "Fuck off! We just started dating, nothing's happened yet!"

He holds up his hands, "Dude! Calm down, I won't go after her…yet!"

He runs off somewhere quickly and I shake my head after him. Thresh just laughs again, "He's just doing it to bother you. He knows how much and how long you've liked her. He can't be that stupid."

"Except he is." I retort. "I'm going to go wait for Katniss in the hallway."

Thresh nods and gives me another shot. "At least you two look good together."

"Thanks." I reply downing the drink and tossing the cup back to him.

I go up to the upstairs bathroom, waiting in the hallway where a line has formed, hoping Katniss is already in the bathroom. I'm happily correct as she comes out, fluffing her hair around her shoulders as she finds me.

"Hey, you didn't have to come up here!" She shouts, because somehow the music seems louder up here.

"No biggie. Are you having fun at your first party?" I ask her, leaning in close to her ear. She smells great still, maybe a little bit of sweat, because of the dancing, but mostly like flowers. I don't know if it's her shampoo or lotion and I don't care because it smells wonderful.

She leans into me, answering straight into my ear which somehow goes straight to my groin as she presses against me, "Yeah, thank you for bringing me. I think I'm done drinking though. That first shot was strong and even though Finnick's probably wasn't as bad as Cato's, I still think it was probably stronger than anything Madge or I would make."

I just nod and pull back enough to look at her. Cheeks flushed eyes wide and bright, no hint of an intoxicating buzz on her face. Then I kiss her, hard and deep. At first, I can tell she's surprised, but then she lets it continue and kisses me back, urging me to calm down with her lips. I feel a burning in the pit of my stomach and all the blood rushes away from every part of me, going straight to my center. When she pulls away to breathe, I put one hand on her face and caress her bottom lip with my thumb.

"You're so pretty." I tell her.

She smiles but looks down at nothing in particular. Her dark eyelashes are thick and long, fanning her face just so as she keeps her head down. That kiss was different from the others, more intense. I don't know if it's just me or the alcohol, but lifting Katniss' face to look at her, I'm pretty sure she felt something different too. I pull her back for another kiss and take advantage when she opens her mouth, sliding my tongue in. Not that I have a lot of experience, but I would guess she's a good kisser and I'm getting all hard again. I don't know how often that can happen before it really hurts or worse, explodes. The few kisses we've shared, I usually get to go home not too long afterward and relieve myself.

She moans a little as I pull her closer to me, against me, and I end up pulling back, embarrassed. Katniss' eyes looked glazed before she realizes what's happened. Her voice is deeper, raspier, when she asks me, "What's wrong?"

I haven't let her go and she slides her hands down to my chest, playing with my tie. "Nothing…I just…it's not going too quick?"

She looks up into my blue eyes with her steel gray ones, seeming startled and embarrassed herself, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. It just…it felt right."

I put my hand on her cheek, "I thought I was the one who had to apologize. I would kiss you all night if I could."

She smiles, tugging on my tie, "I think I'd have other things in mind if we were going to spend the whole night together."

Even in the dimmer light of the hallway, I can see the blush on her cheeks; feel the heat of it beneath my fingers. I was so not expecting her to say that first. All I can manage to say though is, "Well then."

Katniss giggles and then wraps her arms around my waist. Her voice is slightly muffled when she asks me, "Do you want to dance some more?"

I think about it for a minute and then have a much better idea. "How about we go someplace else?"

She looks up at me with wide curious eyes and a smile creeps onto her face, "What'd you have in mind?"

I unwrap her arms from me and tug her along downstairs. Grabbing our jackets, I wave bye to my friends as Cato yells out, "Dude, it's not even ten yet!"

I flip him off and we go outside. The chilly air jolts me more awake and I still have a hold of Katniss' hand. Looking down at her, I explain, "Let's go to the bakery. I'm going to show you how to decorate a cake."


	9. Chapter 9

Katniss stops as we walk to her car. "What? Are you sure you won't get in trouble?"

Technically I'm an owner too. It does say 'Mellark and Sons' on the giant sign above…." I start to tell her and she pokes me in the side.

"I get it, but I mean, your parents won't mind?" She reiterates as we get into the car. I stop, waiting for her to open the doors. Katniss just looks at me and holds her hand out, "You have the keys."

"Oh yea." I dig them out and pass along her wallet as well. "As long as we don't make a mess. My dad is usually there before mom anyways."

She unlocks the doors and starts up the car, letting it heat up again. "Well, if you're sure we won't get in trouble."

"Nah, besides, I know for a fact that Jack did it before." I tell her. Course, Jack did a lot more with his girlfriend than show her how to make cookies. I'm not about to suggest that though.

"Alright then, to the bakery we go." She says as she tries to maneuver the car out of its spot.

The only light on as we come up to the bakery is the one right above the counter. "Park in the back, we have to enter through there anyway."

Katniss does as she's instructed and then turns off the car. She leans up against the steering wheel, looking at the back door. In a nervous tone, she asks again, "Are you sure about this, Peeta?"

I open the door and turn to look at her. "Its fine, Katniss. We won't be baking anything so we don't have to turn on the ovens or anything. Why are you so afraid?"

"I just don't want you getting into trouble." She replies again, opening her door finally. She comes around and I take her hand, pulling her alongside of me. I give her hand a squeeze just to reassure her again.

I unlock and turn on the backroom light because that's all we'll need. While I sit her down on a stool in front of one of the work tables, I grab the supplies we need. Deciding it'll be better to do something smaller, I grab a couple of cupcakes and plain sugar cookies along with a few different colored icings. I drop everything on the table in front of her and her eyes go wide.

"Holy crap, Peeta. I'm not much of an artist in any way, so don't expect much." She warns me as I put icing into a tube for her. She has always seemed so confident up until now, it's weird.

I organize everything out, placing a cookie in front of her. I stand behind her, putting the bag in her hands and then my hands over hers. "It's easy, we'll just do flowers."

She repeats me in a mumble, "We'll just do flowers."

Putting some pressure on her, we squeeze out icing. I'm distracted quickly over the scent of her and try to focus on the icing again. I drop my head down over her shoulder and catch a glimpse down her shirt. A light blue bra is all I can see covering what are sure to be the most perfect breasts. Her phone is sticking out the left side, but it's tucked tight, so I can't see anything else. And then I squeeze her hands too hard, squirting icing everywhere.

Katniss giggles, "What the hell was that?"

She turns her head to me and I impulsively kiss her. She's taken aback but not to the point where she pulls away. Katniss turns herself so it's not awkward on her neck, with me standing between her legs now. I cradle her face in my hands as she places her small ones at my waist. I feel her fingers grazing the hem of my shirt, deciding whether or not to let them wander underneath the cloth.

I pull back to breathe, looking into her smoky eyes. Taking a huge chance, I ask her, "Do you wanna go upstairs?"

She takes a deep breath but nods as she lets it out. I take her hand and lead her to the apartment that was my family's first home, unlocking the door and turning on the light.

"What the fuck?!" "What the hell?!" "Oh my god!" Three different people yell as I look to where the first voice came from. Bran leaps up from the floor, wearing only his boxers, evidentially excited by whatever we just interrupted. Katniss whips herself back into the hallway, laughing loudly. His girlfriend is trying to cover her breasts with her arms as he yells at me to get out. I slam the door shut and we run back downstairs laughing. Once we're back in the storeroom, all it takes is one look at each other to burst out laughing again. It takes several attempts to properly breathe again.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that." I finally get out. Katniss is still laughing but less so as she sees the mess I had made just a few minutes ago with the icing.

She shakes her head, waving her hands in front of herself, "I don't know if I'll ever get that image of Bran in his boxers out of my head."

Well, I don't want that to be the last thing she thinks of at night. "Huh, I'll have to remedy that later than."

She looks up at me with a shocked face. I don't know how to respond, so I just grab some sponges and cleaner. I can't believe some of the stuff I say around her, it amazes me. I hand her over a sponge and she gets to cleaning as I put away all the stuff I just took out. I nibble on the cookie though, no sense in wasting that. She pulls out her phone to check the time. I couldn't not watch as she dug it out from her top and have to shake my head to not think of the tender skin underneath.

I can tell Katniss must clean up a lot at home because she is meticulous about it. She won't let us leave until everything is just as it was. I want to question her about it but think again since she was so afraid I would get into trouble. I realize as we're almost done that Bran and his girlfriend haven't come down or maybe they went out the side door. There are two entrances to the apartment and who wants to see their little brother after being caught? I lock up and we sit in the car for a few minutes.

"I still have forty-five minutes before I have to be home. Anywhere else we can just waste time?" Katniss asks, turning in her seat to face me. She's playing with the ends of a lock of hair, nervous again?

I think about it, not coming up with anything better than, "I know you said you'd get cold outside, but what if we sat in the car over by the park?"

She shrugs, "Yeah that sounds okay."

We don't say anything for the whole two minute drive it takes to get there, but a song comes on the radio and she turns it up to start singing to it. I just watch her as she lets herself go, not seeming to mind that I'm sitting next to her. She's so beautiful right now, hair down, eyes glowing, and if she wasn't driving, I'd be kissing her right now. Luckily when we stop to park, she doesn't turn off the radio or stop singing until the song is done. I give her a round of applause that makes her turn to me and smile.

"Cut it out, Peeta." She tells me and I do, but compliment her again anyway.

"You have a really pretty voice. How come you're not in any of the singing groups at school?" I ask her, pulling her hand into mine and caressing her knuckles with my fingers.

Katniss shakes her head, shrugs her shoulders, "When would I have the time for that? I'm in charge when my mom is at work and I have to get Prim, make sure we both get our homework done, have dinner ready. I usually do laundry in the middle of the week so that my mom is trying to do everything on her two days off. Plus, she almost never has them back to back like this weekend. There's just too much."

She sounds so much older than she is and it's a shame really, that she can't enjoy herself like she should be able to. I want to somehow take her away from that, but I have no idea how. I have just as many things to do myself with the bakery and school. I'm just lucky enough that she can hang out with me at my job. While she's taking care of her little sister, I'm playing artist with cookies. I can't not go to work to hang out with her and Prim, help them with chores. Me taking them to the movies tomorrow is for both their benefits, but it also means that I get to spend more time with Katniss. Prim is a sweet little girl, always has been and she's lucky enough to have a big sister who takes care of her the way Katniss does. Plus, over the last couple of days, I've yet to hear Katniss whine about any of it, like that's the way it's supposed to be.

I pull her into my arms as best I can in the car and she leans into me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I snuggle my nose into her hair, taking in her scent for the hundredth time tonight. All this time liking her was meant to lead to this, for us to be together now. I'm suddenly glad I was a chicken for such a long time.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N - A little swearing and some imagination! **

The next day when I get to Katniss' house, Ms. Everdeen tells me that Prim is sick, so we get to go out on a true date. Katniss is behind her, with a curiously sexy smile on her face. I know my eyebrows go up at it in question, but she just shakes her head as her mother is talking. Once we're in the car, Katniss looks at me and tells me,

"At least we don't have to go to the movies. That was more for Prim."

I shrug, "There's nothing you want to go see?"

She shakes her dark head, hair back in its signature braid. "Nah, but I was talking to Madge this morning and she told me about a place we can go be alone."

Her voice isn't quite as hesitant as last night, so I wonder if the night's debacle has something to do with it. "Sure, let's go."

I realize quickly that Katniss is heading to a forest preserve that borders our town with two others. I look over at her, a slight grimace on her otherwise beautiful face, "Have you been in the forest?"

She nods her head, "Yeah, my dad used to take me all the time when I was little and tell me which trees and plants were what. I haven't been here since he died so I don't know how much I remember."

"Are you sure you want to go there then? I mean, it won't make you sad or anything, will it?" I ask, mindful of how upset she was after he died.

"I'm fine when I'm with you." She admits as she finds a parking spot. It's a cool October Sunday, so it's busy. We get out and she looks at the four different paths in front of us. "Here, Madge told me to take this one."

She holds out her hand, putting the other one in her jacket pocket. I take her free hand and follow her without hesitation. The trees are tall, most of them have changed from greens to reds and oranges, others having lost their leaves altogether. It's peaceful though as no one else is on this particular path. Not that I can see anyway.

"So what's wrong with Prim?" I ask Katniss as she looks at the trees. It seems like she's looking for something.

Katniss shrugs, "She was whining about having a stomachache, so mom said she couldn't go out. She didn't like that too much either but mom said there was no way she was going to go eat popcorn and junk if she didn't feel good."

"Oh, well, that's a shame for her; she seemed really excited to see the movie." I reply, intertwining our fingers as we walk. Katniss tightens hers around mine and I smile. I catch her looking into the forest more closely and ask, "Are you looking for something in particular?"

She nods and explains, "Madge said that there was this odd looking tree to signal a spot where we could really be alone."

I look behind us and know there's no one in front of us. "We seem pretty alone right now."

Katniss smiles and tugs on my hand playfully, "Like really alone, where we'd hear if someone were to come up on us."

Not that I mind her train of thought, but I have to wonder why she wants to be alone. Just as I'm about to ask, she pulls on my hand and I look to where she's pointing. Madge wasn't kidding about the weird tree; its gnarled branches look ancient and it has by far the biggest trunk I've seen on this whole walk.

"C'mon Peeta, let's go check it out!" She exclaims, pulling me deeper into the forest with her, away from the concrete path.

The tree is actually much further in than I though and bigger too. Yet, somehow it's really pretty. We walk to the other side of it and find why it would be such a good place to hide from prying eyes. Someone probably ages ago, carved out a spot in the tree trunk to sit and because the trunk is so wide and tree so tall, no one would be able to see from the path. We made plenty of noise coming to it, so she's right about no one being able to sneak up on us.

In and around the small wooden bench, there are names and symbols craved into its body. I'm wishing I had brought a knife just so I could add our names or initials. "How did Madge know about this?" I ask running my hand over the trunk.

Katniss sits on the bench, watching me. "Gale's brought her here a few times."

I look at Katniss, "Wait, she's with Gale? I thought she was always trying to get you two together."

"I know, it's weird. I think they use each other out of convenience. I mean, yeah, she tried to get me to go out with him but they are always making out when no one's around. Trust me, she's told me much more than I need to know." She admits.

I screw my eyebrows together, making a slightly disgusted face. "Really? Then why would she try to push him on you?"

Katniss shrugs, playing with the end of her braid, "She thinks I'm better suited for him. When they are together in front of someone else, or maybe just me, they are constantly fighting."

I don't say anything, figuring she's not done yet talking about her best friends. She looks up at me as I'm still standing, looking at the hundreds of little letters and drawings. "If Bran hadn't been at the apartment last night, what do you think would have happened?"

I turn to her, not expecting that question, ever. I gulp and shift my weight from foot to foot, feeling the heat rise up on my cheeks. She smiles, knowing I'm embarrassed by it and waits patiently for my answer.

"Ummm, well….I was hoping to get to second base really." I tell her honestly, feeling hotter as the words come out.

Katniss' smile widens and she laughs softly, "Peeta, you can sit down."

I do and she puts her hand on my knee, squeezing it. In a soft voice, her face gone serious, she tells me, "I want to be able to talk to you about this stuff. I've never had a boyfriend but I'm thinking being honest about how we're feeling and what we're feeling can't be a bad thing. Plus, you really want Madge to be my only source of information when it comes to sex?"

I gulp again and kind of choke on my own salvia. Holy crap? Sex?! I mean, yeah, I've thought about it thousands of times, hundreds of dreams have been dedicated to it, but now she's actually talking about it to me?

"Peeta, are you okay?" Katniss asks as she pounds on my back.

I hold my hand up to make her stop and let out one more good cough. Now my throat is all raw and my voice comes out raspy. "Yeah…just…umm, well…what did you want to talk about?"

Now a soft red comes up her neck to her cheeks. "I've been…well, I've been having dreams every night since you kissed me."

Oh good, I'm not the only one. But I need to know more. "Like what kind of dreams?"

She rolls her gray eyes, "Like the ones that cause you to get that bulge in your pants every time we kiss or like when we were dancing last night."

Now I know I can't get any redder and I have to look away from her for a moment to not sound dumb in any way. Clearing my throat before I look at her again, I realize her hand is still on my leg, only a little higher. I put mine over it to calm myself. Smiling, I tell her, "I bet they're not as bad as mine."

She scoffs, "I don't know, they've gotten pretty raunchy and last night was by far the hottest."

I laugh, "Yeah, well, you've only been having yours for less than a week, I've been having mine for years."

She giggles and nods, taking her hand off of my leg and playing with her braid again, "Yeah, I guess I can see how you would think that yours are worse, or better depending on how you look at it."

"Sooo…what have you and Madge talked about?" I ask her, not really wanting to tell her about my dreams just yet.

"Oh, ummm, well she's told me about what she and Gale have done and she seems to think I want to know these things. But I guess since we've been friends for so long," She says with a shrug. "I mean, she's told me when she had her first kiss and lost her virginity and all that stuff. But she's the only one I've ever talked to about it. At least you have your brothers, and I imagine one is probably easier to talk to about it than the other."

I snort and admit, "Yeah, Bran's kinda…..disgustingly descriptive. Jack isn't so…"

"Rude?" She finishes for me.

I nod, "Yeah, he's always been really nice to his girlfriends. I mean, Bran's not mean or anything like that, but he certainly could care less about how he talks about them when it comes to what they give up to him. I guess he has some way about him though, he's had a few girlfriends and got his first blowjob when he was like fourteen."

Katniss' eyes go wide and she lets out a soft, "Oh."

"Yeah, he was more than ready to let me know about that, even though I was, what, twelve? To be honest, at the time, it kinda freaked me out." I admit, shaking my head.

"Why would it freak you out? I mean, isn't that what all boys want a girl to do to them?" She asks me, rubbing her hands out on her own jeans as if she's got sweaty palms or something.

I shrug, "I don't know, I was twelve, the thought of a girl actually wanting to do that seemed like it could only happen in my dreams. As for all guys wanting it, yeah, I guess, I don't know any who haven't."

She nods her head just once, "I figured. What about you? How old were you when you had your first?"

"First what?" I look at her face and she isn't blushing or anything, steel gray eyes just watching me.

She points her head towards me, looking down at my crotch, "Your first blowjob?"

I feel the redness come back up to my face and look away from her quickly. Rolling my eyes up, looking into the tall trees, I take a breath and then look back at her. I shake my head, watching her expression carefully, "I haven't."

"Oh, I just thought…"

"Katniss, I haven't dated anyone…." I butt in, putting my hand on her now jittery leg.

"You don't have to be dating someone to do stuff. Just ask Madge and Gale." She says, rolling her eyes.

I laugh and pat her leg a couple of times, "Yeah, I guess it's not mandatory or anything, but I haven't anyway. But why would you have thought that I did?"

She looks away from me for a few seconds, thinking about her answer I guess. I take my hand away from her thigh and put my finger under her chin, guiding her gaze back to me, "Katniss? Why would you have thought that I had done something like that?"

She takes a breath and I drop my hand, "Because you have a lot of girls who like you and I've seen you surrounded more than a few times, I mean, just look at what happened last night! That girl, Rue, she's liked you for awhile and I know I'm not the only one at school who's paid attention to you."

I shake my head, "But I've only ever cared about you. What you might think of me if I gave in to something that dumb."

"So….you've never? Never even made out with anyone?" She asks, her gray eyes searching mine.

"No, I've only been kissed and it wasn't even by choice." I admit. Here I am, a sixteen year old straight guy, and still completely inexperienced in the ways of sex. Well, with someone else anyways.

Her tone is soft again when she responds with another, "Oh."

"Katniss, I literally was waiting to ask you out for a long time. Why would I screw up any chance I had by fucking around with some other girl?" I question her taking her hand in mine and playing with her lithe fingers.

"I know that's what you keep saying, but it's just that some guys don't care if they fuck around, like it doesn't count or something if they're not actually serious about each other." She answers, watching our hands for a moment and then looking up at me. "I just wasn't sure what you did once I couldn't see you anymore at school, you know?"

"I think it's pretty safe to say that I'm a virgin. So, unless you count masturbation, I'm as innocent as they come." She giggles at my choice of words and I don't know why, but I don't mind that she knows I do it. Though I guess if she thought I had been fooling around with someone else, then jerking myself off isn't that bad.

"Alright then, tell me about your dream and I'll tell you about mine." She says with a devilish smile.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N - Sorry it's been so long! Between more hours at work and the kids and the holidays, sorry! Enjoy and I will try to write another chapter before the year is done. **

I cough out another laugh. "What?! Nah."

"Oh come on, Peeta. Why not? We're both having dreams about each other." Katniss pleads, squeezing my leg again.

I shake my head, "I don't know. It'll be weird if I tell you."

"But why? It's probably stuff you want to do with me, right?" She points out. I nod slowly, burning from my head to toes with embarrassment. "Do you want me to go first?"

Holy crap! What is she doing to me?! I'm going to end up exploding on her, although right now I feel more like throwing up. Either, I'll die from being thoroughly embarrassed.

She takes my hand, "Peeta, really, is it that bad?"

I nod again, swallowing the bile rising up in my throat. I can't tell her the things I most want to do to her; she'd beat the crap out of me if she didn't kill me first. But, wait, she said she was having dreams too. So maybe….

"Alright, ladies first." I tell her simply.

She gives me a snarky look, "Fine."

"Really?" I didn't think she would.

"Sure, it was my idea, why not?" Katniss looks at me and then slides herself to the ground, where she starts to play with some fallen leaves. "I don't know that I can look at you while I tell you though."

"Oh….okay." I don't know what to do, so I stay put while she fiddles with the ground.

She keeps her eyes down but begins speaking, "Well, the first one really wasn't so bad at all. It was just you and me kissing, maybe a little more tongue action going on. But how I felt when I woke up was…..different."

I smile down at her, that's nothing new to me. "Different how?"

She looks up at me, gray eyes wide and shrugs, "I've had dreams before, sexy ones but I think because we had actually kissed, I was…I don't know, more excited?"

Not being able to stop it from slipping out, I nod and say, "Nice."

Katniss gives me a shy smile. I know I shouldn't, but I feel…proud in some way that I got her excited, even if it was just in a dream. She continues her voice still soft and I lean down to hear her better. "But last night's …..last night's was….well….out right dirty."

I lean back, trying not to smile. My girlfriend, the girl I have been dreaming about for years now, had a dirty dream. A dirty dream about me. A dirty dream about me and her. I control my voice, not well as it comes out higher than normal, "What happened?"

She looks up at me again, but with a smile, probably laughing at me internally for my lack of control over my voice. I clear my throat and try it again. "Was I at least good in this dream?"

She giggles before grabbing more leaves to play with. "I don't have any way of comparing you, Peeta. Let's just say that my panties were soaked."

At the mere thought of her panties, I get hard all over again. I shift myself awkwardly as she gives me a weird look. It's not like I could settle _him _down anyway; we're talking about sex dreams for crying out loud! I'll be lucky if I don't blow my load in my pants by the end of this!

"Peeta?" I hear her and I look down at her as she kneels in front of me, her hands on my knees. Dear God, how many times have I pictured her in that position? I'm going to ruin this. I shift again but she keeps her hands on me. "Peeta, what?"

I don't say anything but instead quickly get down to her level and kiss her with everything I have. I kiss her so forcefully that we end up falling over and she begins to laugh against me. I pull back and laugh for a moment too, watching her, looking at how carefree she is right now. Her gray eyes are light with happiness.

Once we've stopped laughing, I lower my head and kiss her lips softly. I slide my tongue over her full bottom lip and when she opens her mouth; our tongues begin a strange sensual dance. I feel her hands resting at the top of my jeans and how her fingers begin to glide up and down my side since I never zipped up my jacket.

I pull up again, leaning on my elbows, amazed at how her eyes have changed to a stormy gray now. I make a mental note of that so I can try and draw them later. I lower my head again, giving her small butterfly kisses on her nose and across her cheek until I hit her neck and nip at a spot there. She moans and shifts her head so I have better access and I take the opportunity to nibble on her earlobe.

Katniss moans again, her hands gripping my sides and her legs opening beneath me. I begin to move myself against her just to feel the friction of our clothed bodies together and groan loudly against her unexpectedly. I barely make out when she moans my name before I kiss her again, hard and deep, still grinding myself against her. She isn't stopping me, more like encouraging as her fingers slide underneath my shirt. I can hardly feel the coldness of her hands, as I'm overheated anyway, but I do move my hands to the sides of her waist, holding her there against the ground. I don't think she'll be going anywhere though.

I pry myself away from her and manage to say, "Not here, not like this."

She smiles up at me, a wicked, sexy smile and replies, "Who said we were going to do anything besides go to second base?"

Katniss pulls my head down back to hers, one hand still under my shirt, rolling her fingers over my skin as it prickles from her touch. She slides her tongue into my mouth and I give in to it quickly. She tastes like fresh mint and her breath is somehow cool even though we were kissing not just a moment ago. I take my chances, sliding one of my hands under her shirt. I feel her cringe slightly but she doesn't stop kissing me or pull away; she actually arches into my hand. I slide my hand up a little bit further, the kiss we're sharing getting more intense and heated. I reach the bottom of her bra and let my fingers linger on the feeling of the under wire there. A moan vibrates from her throat into my mouth and I just go ahead and cup her breast. Not the smoothest move, I'm sure, but I'm actually touching her boob!

I pull my mouth away, hand still on her, kneading it a little and look down at her face. She's a beautiful shade of pink right now and breathing heavily, her eyes a deep gray. She smiles and asks, not seeming to mind where my hand is right now, "What?"

"I just can't believe I'm doing this, with you." I tell her honestly. I have no reason to lie to her, it would serve no purpose.

She smiles again, "Well, then let's just keep up at it for awhile."

I lower my mouth to hers again and the kiss is slower, sweeter then before but somehow more intense. I don't know how that works, but it is and I feel her hand slip down my side, touching the top of my jeans again. She doesn't do anything except kiss me back and caress the skin on my side, but I'm so ready to explode. All my dreams are happening, coming true and if I died right now, I couldn't say I wasn't happy.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N - I am so so sorry everyone. It's taking me longer to get into the mindset of 16 yr old Peeta than I originally thought. This probably isn't the best chapter I've written, but it will make sense at the end of it, I hope.**

An hour later, Katniss and I are readjusting our clothing, zipping up our jackets and heading out of our hiding spot by the giant tree. Once we are ready, I grab her hand and hold it tightly it mine, giving it a kiss before we set back out to her car. She gives me a warm smile and squeezes mine in response. Once we're on the path back to the rest of the world, she asks, "I thought I'd be a lot colder."

I nod, gripping her hand a little tighter as we continue walking. "Yea, I thought that when you slid my shirt up. I was trying to keep yours down."

Katniss shakes her head, "Nah, it was fine; you were pretty much covering me. I do think that next time, we should be indoors though."

"I agree. Hell, if Bran and his girlfriend hadn't been getting busy…" I start and she grips my hand tighter, causing me to wince and look at her. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You are too good of a guy to have let anything else happen, Peeta. Even now you were holding back." She informs me.

I shake my head, "I don't know. I mean, we were both drinking a little, it may have gone farther than what just happened." I admit, because who knows what would have happened, what could have happened.

"Right, so let's not go into what if's. Let's focus on what will happen." She suggests stopping and wrapping her arms around me, giving me a heated kiss in the middle of the concrete path.

When she pulls back a minute later, we're breathing heavy again, the air small white clouds in front of our mouths. Then she starts walking again as though nothing happened. We get to the car a few minutes later, not having talked since the last kiss. I don't feel weird about it though, the silence is comfortable. When we get into the car, she turns on the heater and radio, giving it a minute before she backs out.

"So, where to now? My mom said as long as I was home before ten, being a school night and all." Katniss says, rolling her eyes as she waits to turn onto the street.

"Well, how about I actually take you to dinner or something; you know, like a real, normal date?" I respond, watching for her reaction.

She turns to me, "Peeta, I'm pretty sure we were not meant to be _normal_ anything. In fact, I'm glad that we aren't."

I think about it for a minute and she's right, I guess. I mean, it only took me years to actually ask her out to anything and while I had dinner at her home, I guess normal would have been to take her out on an actual date. I mean, yeah I asked her to the dance for next weekend but ever since I've asked her, we've been spending every day together. That can't be normal, right? She's my first girlfriend, as much as my mother and a few other girls wish it wasn't so. Oh well, it all seems to be working for us and I'm not about to change it.

"Okay, so we're not normal by other people's standards. I can't say that any of my friends have told their girlfriends about the dreams they've had about them and vice versa." I admit, because really, I can't picture it. Maybe Cato because he's enough of a jerk to do something like that.

"Huh, I figured Cato would, thinking that it may be a compliment or something, get him in some poor girl's pants." Katniss says as if reading my mind. I look at her, knowing my eyes are wide and she laughs at my reaction. "What?"

"I was just thinking that is all. I mean, Thresh wouldn't, as nasty as they can talk; he's a teddy bear from what I've heard from some of the girls he hangs out with. But Cato, yeah, he's kind of an ass. I'm sure you got that last night." I tell her, knowing he probably tried something when Rue pulled me away.

"He is an ass. He put his arm around me when you left, as if. Although, I've heard that he's that guy who will go after his friends' girlfriends, I just didn't want to believe it. Why do you hang out with him anyways?"

I shrug, "We're on wrestling together, just sort of comes with that I guess. Besides, he and Thresh have been hanging out a lot more and I've known Thresh forever, so whenever there's a party, he's sure to be there."

She nods her dark head. "Well, Peeta, decided where we're off to next yet?"

I look around, see where we're at. It's still pretty early and if she doesn't have to be home until 10, then I could totally take her to dinner if she wanted. "Let's go the mall."

"The mall? Need to go shopping?" She asks with a smile.

"Well, you have your dress, right? Do you have everything you need?" I asked right back. I watch her eyebrows go up and she frowns.

"No, I have to get a new bra. Want to help me find one?" I can't tell if she's teasing me or not, but I won't take any chances.

"If that's what you need, let's get it. We won't have a chance this week or you'll have to drag Prim with you." I remind her and she scrunches her nose and shakes her head. "I didn't think so. Then we can roam around and maybe get dinner while we're out."

Katniss nods and makes the turn at the light to go to the mall, which is about ten minutes away. "Can we stop by the pretzel stand? I'm a little hungry."

"Sure, a snack sounds good actually. And it'll probably hold us over until dinner anyways." She nods again and then starts singing along to a song that has just started up. I sit back and listen to her, smiling because she has a very nice voice and seems to be able to hit all the notes except for some random super high one that I don't think belongs to a person anyway.

She keeps going, after seeing that I like her singing, only stopping when we get to the mall. As we're getting out, I ask, "Why haven't you ever been in the musicals or anything? I mean, you have a great voice."

Katniss shakes her head, grabbing my hand once we're away from the car and heading into the building. "Who would take care of Prim? Mom can't really afford to hire someone and she's too young to stay by herself, though she thinks otherwise."

"But you could just bring her with, couldn't you? I mean, I doubt they'd mind if a middle school kid was there at rehearsals." I can tell she's thinking about it but she just shakes her head again,

"Nah, then I'd have to remember lines and crap like that. Songs are one thing, but there's actual talking in between all that to make the story." She says, probably a reminder for her more than me.

I squeeze her hand and then intertwine our fingers, "That's a play; haven't you ever been to any of the school musicals? All they do is sing."

"Peeta, I can't…..sing in front of other people like that. I don't even like most of the people we go to school with, why would I want them to hear me sing?" She's totally making up excuses. We stop just before we get to the pretzel stand and I turn her to me.

"You have a great voice; I think you should do it. Besides, what do they say? Picture the audience in their underwear and it'll make it easier." I suggest and she gives me a wide smile.

"Silly, that's for when you're nervous. I didn't say that I was nervous about singing in front of them, just that I don't like them." She explains with a crooked smile and I get it. She doesn't want people to know just how talented she is.

I roll my eyes at her and we stand in line awaiting our turn. When all that is ordered and paid for, we continue walking as we eat our giant, hot, specialty pretzels. "So why don't you like most of 'them'?"

Katniss shrugs, "Most of the kids at our school are just dumb. I mean, really, half the guys act like they're God's gift to women and then there's the girls that actually fawn over them. Then there's the ones who think that getting high every day and sitting doing nothing is somehow better than anything else. Then the jocks…"

"Watch it, I'm considered a jock." I tease her as I shove her a little with my hip.

She smiles at me, "Yes, but you're that rare jock who doesn't act like he's better than anyone, is actually nice even though he doesn't need to be and you work for your family's bakery. I mean, when you're not doing wrestling, that's where you are."

"Unless I'm with you." I casually remind her. She pushes back with her hip and nods,

"Damn straight." She looks up and cocks her head to the side, "We're here."

I look up at the basically all pink store. Of course I'd seen Victoria's Secrets, drooled over the catalogs, but I've never been in one. Even when our mother would take us shopping, she never ventured near there. I follow Katniss in, finishing my pretzel with a big gulp. A couple of young women greet us and I blush nodding back at them. I'm with my girlfriend, I shouldn't be nervous, but I've never looked at women's underwear like this before. I just follow Katniss as she heads towards some colorful section, glancing at the walls or fixtures so I don't knock into them.

Katniss is looking at a strapless black bra when one of the women comes up to us. "Looking for something particular, honey?" She sounds older than she looks and without turning back to her, Katniss answers,

"Umm, no, I found them. I just have to figure out which one I like best and then get some matching panties." She glances back at the sales lady and smiles. "Thank you though."

"Sure, let me know if you need to try it on." She says with a smile and as she leaves, she winks at me.

I wasn't aware that Katniss saw that until she says when the lady is out of earshot, "She thinks you're cute."

I look at her, my eyes surely wide, "What?! No. She's just being nice."

Katniss rolls her gray eyes at me, "Oh please, Peeta, a lot of girls and I'm sure women too, think that you're good looking."

I shake my head again, "Well, the others don't matter; I only care what you think of me."

She leans forward and gives me a peck on the lips. "That just makes you all the more sexy you know."

I have no idea what she's talking about, but I like it.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- Bringing in another OC who is OOC. Sorry it took so long, but getting into a 16 year-old guy's head is _different_.**

I decide to wait outside while Katniss goes to try on the bras. I might know what they look like, just not on her yet. I quietly drink our shared pop, watching people go by, listening to some who are talking way too loud considering they are right next to the person they're talking to. Then I laugh internally to the group of girls who walk by, three out of four of them chatting on their glitterfied phones, the last girl looking bored and out of place with them. Two of them just out right stare at me and I turn away from them, feeling the blush come up. I recognize them from school, having taken classes with all of them at some point in the last few years. One of them, I think her name is actually Glimmer stops and says loudly,

"Peeta Mellark, what are you doing in front of Victoria's Secret?" Never hanging up her phone or giving any indication that she may actually be wanting to talk to me besides being loudly obnoxious.

The one girl who seemed out of place rolls her brown eyes and shakes her dark spiky haired head. I look at Glimmer, really, what kind of name is that, and reply, "Just waiting on Katniss."

"Who's Katniss?" She asks sounding faker than normal and not like she really cares to know the answer.

Just at that moment, Katniss comes out, with a small pink and white bag, tissue paper sticking out a bit. "I heard my name."

I stand up and walk right through the group of girls, Glimmer seeming like she was slighted somehow, though I've never talked to her more than five sentences before. The quiet short-haired girl watches as I take Katniss' hand into mine, "Got what you needed?"

She grabs the drink from my other hand and takes a long sip before looking back at the other girls, "Yep. What's going on out here?"

"You're Katniss?" Glimmer asks in a rather snotty tone, saying Katniss in a rude way.

Katniss looks at the blond, blue-eyed, wearing too much make-up for hanging out, and nods. "Yeah, I have fifth period with you, Glimmer."

The dark haired girl lets out a chuckle and receives a dirty look from the blond, while the other two girls are quietly watching, as if they expect something to happen. Glimmer nods her head slowly, "Oh right, you're the one who seems to know everything without actually talking very much. Didn't you dad die or something?"

Katniss doesn't miss a beat though the other girls, the two followers of sorts scoff and the dark-haired one almost lets out a hiss. "He did and I do. But too bad that lipstick you're wearing didn't die with him. Let's go Peeta."

And with that we walk away from the teenaged girls, one who is of course highly offended, standing there with her mouth hanging open looking like an idiot, two who are trying to comfort her, and the oddball one smiling and her body rippling with silent laughter. I think her name is Johanna and I'm pretty sure she's older but with her petite size she could easily pass for a teenager.

"So, how long has Glimmer liked you?" Katniss asks as we walk away. I glance back, smiling at how her mouth is still hanging open.

Shaking my head, I take another look at Katniss and squeeze her hand, "She's never said more than five words to me before. But she seemed eager to talk to me today."

"That's because she knows you're taken now." We both turn around to see Johanna running up to us. She stops just before practically slamming into us, looking back at the other girls. Shrugging, she looks at Katniss and explains a question neither of us has asked, "She's a bitch and I can almost guarantee that she will make your life a living hell for the next few days if not weeks."

"I don't really care; she's always been kind of a bitch which is why I stay away from her. Why do you care anyway?" Katniss replies, looking Johanna up and down.

"Because it's very rare when someone puts her in her place and I think you'd be a lot more fun to hang out with. I mean, yeah, she's my cousin and all, but you're right, she's a bitch." Johanna looks at us holding hands and then cocks her head towards me, "Glimmer thinks that all the boys want her."

Katniss snorts and suggests, "Maybe she should get with Cato, they'd be perfect together."

I laugh and nod because she's right. Cato wants to get in damn near every girl's pants and Glimmer would probably be likely to let him. I look at Johanna, recognizing her a bit more, "You don't even go to our school anymore, why are you hanging out with her today?"

"Oh, I came home for a few weeks, trying to figure stuff out. Seemed like a good idea at the time to hang out with my younger cousin, but she's really….boring. I mean, they're all on their phones like they actually have someone important to talk to and are missing everything that's going on around them." She explains as we all start walking again, I guess she'll be coming along with us then. "I mean, the next few days should be interesting enough, seeing how she's going to handle your insult about that hideous lipstick she's wearing. I can't wait to hear about that."

"So, you came home, from college, to figure stuff out and you got stuck with her?" Katniss asks, passing me back the drink.

"Nah, I'm done with school, I'm just having a hard time finding a job right now and think that I need some calm your shit down time before I look again. I can only live off of ramen noodles and bologna sandwiches for so long before I cave and need real food."

I look at Katniss and she smiles, "You know, we could probably use another set of hands at the bakery. I'll ask my dad when I get home."

She grabs my arm, "Really, that would be great! Something would be better than nothing right now. I'll take whatever I can get."

"Don't you have an apartment you have to go back to though?" I ask as we head towards the exit.

"That's the good thing about living with roommates, I have some time. As long as I send them something, I should be good. Like I said, something's better than nothing." We all stop just outside the exit. She looks back at the mall entrance, "I guess I better get back, no doubt she's flipping pissed that I walked away from her. Thanks Mellark. I'll see you two around."

Johanna goes back into the mall and Katniss and I head to her car. Once we're in, Katniss turns to me, "What's with Johanna? You know her?"

"Well, she's older than my brother, but I heard stories, I mean, she's nice obviously, doesn't fit in with her cousin's little clique. That's the first time I've ever really talked to her though, she's come into the bakery before though." I answer, watching Katniss' face. I can't tell if she's amused or jealous and for some reason her being jealous is ludacris to me since I've only wanted her for so long.

Katniss nods her head, "I just thinks it's funny that I said something about girls liking you and all of sudden Glimmer shows up. I mean, I know she's not your type, but she was looking at you like you were a piece of meat."

I lean in, not being able to help myself, "How do you know what my type is?"

Katniss gives me a quick peck on the lips before she turns in her seat to drive. "Me of course silly man."


	14. Chapter 14

When Monday rolls around, everyone is watching Katniss and I walk down the hallway together. They didn't seem to mind us much last week, so I'm not sure what's going on. That is until I get to my first class where Thresh is waiting for me with a huge smile on his face.

"So how was the mall yesterday?" He asks as soon as I sit down.

I turn to face him, "What? How'd you know I was at the mall?"

"Oh, I think everyone knows how you were waiting on your honey. More importantly, how she fought Glimmer." He answers a glint in his dark eyes.

"What? They didn't fight, Glimmer made a comment and Katniss commented back. Nothing big happened. Why, what's 'everybody' saying?" I question again, looking around at other students staring at me.

"Oh, that they had a cat fight right in front of Victoria's Secret. Voices got loud, punches thrown…" He says this all with a grin so bright, I know he can't be taking it seriously.

"Umm, no. Glimmer made a rude comment, so Katniss shot one back, it was nothing. And no punching was involved. Where do people get this crap from?" I retort, getting a little pissed myself.

"Well, Glimmer was showing her black eye. Where did she get it?" Some girl sitting next to us and obviously eavesdropping asks somewhat loudly. All eyes are on me now and I'm trying to figure out what the hell happened that Glimmer would accuse Katniss of something like that.

"Well, wherever she got it, it has nothing to do with us." I answer no one in particular. I have a bad feeling that Katniss is on the receiving end of some very annoyed people in her class as I am here. I look back at the girl who asked the question, "Is Glimmer the one saying it?"

"Well, her and her friends. I mean, why would someone that popular lie?" She shoots back, annoyed by my question.

I turn my attention to Thresh and under my breath say, "To be more popular."

The teacher comes in and everyone settles into class, but I'm ready to leave as soon as the bell rings for the next class. I practically run out of the door, heading straight for Katniss' classroom when I almost slam into her in the hallway as she's heading towards our next class together. She holds onto my arms, keeping me from falling back.

"Peeta, what the hell is going on? Why do people think I hit Glimmer? I barely talked to her yesterday." She asks me as students shoot us dirty looks and mumble not too quietly towards us.

"I know, I found out from some girl in my class that Glimmer's saying you two got into a fight and you punched her." I tell her quickly as we head into the classroom, going to the back seats for an attempt at privacy. But it's high school and there isn't such a thing.

"There's the bitch who hit Glimmer." Some girl says to her friend as they walk up the aisle, eyeing Katniss up and down. She wasn't even trying to be quiet about it.

Katniss rolls her eyes and focuses on me. "I don't get it, I've never done anything to the girl and suddenly because we're together, she's gonna bother me? I mean, I know a lot of girls like you and all, but really? She had her chance; she's had a million chances."

I roll my eyes at her, something I noticed she doesn't care for but smiles anyway. "Whatever she's doing, I'm sure it's meant to get someone to defend her. Just be careful what you say around her friends, no doubt one of them can actually throw a punch if they felt like it."

Katniss lets out a roar of a laugh, "Have you seen her friends in gym class? They wouldn't dare mess up their nails!"

I laugh along with her, noticing out of the corner of my eye the girls watching us. I turn to them and say, "Something we can help you with?"

Their faces go bright pink and face the front as the teacher comes in, Katniss giggling softly behind me. Whatever is going on, we'll figure it out, but not while we're in this class. I figure we'll be able to talk about it at lunch more. And knowing her friend Madge, she probably has more of a clue than we do at this point. She may be Katniss' best friend, but I know she talks to some of Glimmer's group too.

When lunch finally does come around, Katniss sits down with an exaggerated "Humph!"

"The last two classes went well then, I take it?" I nudge her with my elbow and she leans over to give me a kiss anyway.

Shaking her head and opening her lunch bag, Katniss replies, "I don't get it at all! I mean, she's the one who mentioned my dad and wasn't too nice about it and I'm getting shit for it? Who the hell is she that so many believe her anyway?"

Madge sits down and answers before I can, "She's the girl a lot of them look up to, though who knows why. I mean, yeah, she's got the trendiest clothes and an awesome car, but she's a bitch and everyone knows that."

"Well, the guys like her for an entirely different reason." Thresh throws in, taking a bite from his burger. His eyebrows wag up and down, as if I didn't already know what he was talking about. Before he finishes chewing, he's already asking Katniss, "What happened anyway that she hates you so much?"

"I'm dating him." She answers, pointing her thumb at me. I grab her hand and kiss it, shooting Thresh a dirty look when he makes a vomiting noise.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter, right? I mean, you've got me, not her, and we both know the truth, so….." I begin and Madge finishes it with,

"How much worse can it get? Plenty, Glimmer's little friends want to somehow wreck you two. Though I'm not sure that would work given how long you two have liked each other. I mean, the girl is as dumb as a rock if she hasn't noticed how close you two are already."

"Can't be worse then Rue's crush on you. Though Rue kept trying too, huh?" Thresh adds. Madge looks over at my best friend.

"What are you talking about?" She looks at us and then back at Thresh, "Who's Rue?"

"My little cousin, she's had a crush on Peet forever. It was annoying really. But she met Katniss Saturday and was not too happy about it. They talked though, it's all right." He explained just before he took another giant bite of his food.

"Well, you've just got all kinds of girls after you, Mellark." Madge commented as she dug into her salad. She looked up at Katniss, "Good thing he only has eyes for you, chica."

"Shut up, Madge. We did run into Glimmer's cousin, Johanna, while we were there. She doesn't seem too thrilled with her." Katniss retorted. "I get the feeling that if anyone knows what really happened after we left, she would."

"Yeah, but it's not like we can go ask her, I mean, she's said she's staying with Glimmer." I say between bites. "We can't just go over there."

"Why the hell not? Glimmer's telling everybody I hit her and now I'm kind of wishing I did just so she'd shut up."

"All right. Does anybody know where she lives?" I ask our friends, hoping we can get this over with today.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N – This chapter is dedicated to Debbie (aka jawshfuckerson on tumblr) who gave me the lovely idea of how to continue this story.**

"Let's go now." Katniss states, beginning to stand up. I grab her arm, shaking my head.

"No, we're not ditching because Glimmer's spreading lies. We'll wait until after school, find Johanna and then be done with it. But I'm not skipping class for it." Katniss sits down with a huff and rolls her eyes but at least she starts picking at her food again. I know she won't go to Glimmer's house unless I'm with her.

We finish up lunch with no more talk of leaving and Thresh starts telling Madge about Rue's crush on me. I shoot daggers through my eyes, but it only makes him laugh louder. Even Katniss can't help but giggle at some of the things Rue did to get my attention. Like the tiny hot pink bikini she wore over the summer at the first of many pool parties. Or when she baked me brownies and I almost choked because she must have put too much salt in them on what was hopefully an accident.

I notice that even though Madge is listening to Thresh and all his silly recounts of his cousin's antics, she keeps glancing at the doors to the lunchroom. I don't know who she's looking for or eager to get out, but it seems weird. She catches me noticing once and gives me an awkward smile. Something odd is going on but this day has been full of it and I'm not sure I want any more.

The rest of the afternoon passes by without any incidents, but plenty of staring and whispering. When we are in our last class together, the whispering is louder and more annoying, but the teacher disrupts everyone with the announcement of a pop quiz. I smile amongst all the moaning and groaning, knowing this class is my best one. I finish the quiz quickly and the teacher releases me for the day, apparently that's our class. A quiz and then go home. Fine by me. I wait across the hall, sitting against the lockers for Katniss, who should be done soon, as she's pretty good with math herself.

As I'm sitting on the floor with my legs crosses, playing with my phone, I hear footsteps and look up. It's Glimmer and she gives me a smile that makes me grimace and she notices. I let her walk past me when I decide why not ask her questions now while she's alone?

I stand up quickly, "Wait, Glimmer, hang on a sec?"

She turns around, rolling her blue eyes and with a voice to match, "What Mellark?"

I adjust my backpack on my shoulder, "Why did you lie about Katniss hitting you?"

She looks around her, knowing that if anyone would know where Katniss was last night, it would be me. Leaning in a bit, she replies, "Because she's the easiest target. She knows I don't like her and I know she doesn't like me, it's ….simpler that way."

"But people believe you and she didn't do anything to you. You have to tell the truth, I mean hell, you're the one dating Cato." I retort looking her straight in the eyes, not letting her off so easily.

She looks around, unsettled by what I said and chews her lip a little before saying, "You don't know anything, Mellark, leave it alone."

With that she walks away and I just stare after her, not sure if I did just indeed find out all I need to know. I hear the door to the math room open and turn to find Katniss looking for me. I shake my head and walk to her, grab her hand and say, "We don't need to go to Glimmer's house."

"Why not? I still need to talk to Johanna." She's upset and rightfully so before I answer,

"Because I just talked to Glimmer and I get the feeling that she's scared of whatever Cato will do to her if she tells the truth."

Katniss' gray eyes soften a tad but she's still angry, "She should be more scared of what I can do."

She tries to walk away from me but I don't release my grip on her hand and she looks down at it. "Let me go talk to Johanna, just see if Glimmer was with Cato last night. I have no problem turning the jerk in."

"Yeah, but what good is it is she tells everyone that he didn't do anything?" Katniss falters and I add, "It won't do any good if she denies it all and still makes you look like the bad guy in this."

"What do you care about her anyway?" Those gray eyes are filling with a fire I shouldn't mess with but I'm going to anyway.

"Because I think we can get Cato in trouble without her." I pull on her hand and I guide her towards the exit to the parking lot. "C'mon, we will go talk to Johanna after all."

With an exasperated huff, she exclaims, "This is what I wanted to do all freaking afternoon, Peeta."

I turn to her with a smile, the crooked one I know she melts for, "I know, and I know you're probably right, but let's just do this a little differently. A little less bad cop please."

She laughs and shakes her head, "You haven't seen my bad cop yet."

I smile and answer back, "I'll buy you the outfit if you promise I can peel it off of you someday."

**A/N - I was seriously thinking of just dropping this story because I couldn't get back into the right mindset, but luckily I asked for help and got some. Hopefully I won't take so long on the next chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N - Warning! Physical abuse ahead. **

When we get to Glimmer's house, I notice there are no cars in the driveway yet, which means she's not home yet either. Katniss seems eager to ask Johanna whatever it is she's going to ask but didn't tell me what it is. We walk up to the front door hand in hand, her mood lighter than it has been all day since we got to school.

I knock on the door and within moments, the dark, short-haired girl is standing before us. "Uhh, hi. What are you two doing here?"

Katniss clears her throat and just goes for it. "I was wondering if you hung out with Glimmer at all last night."

Johanna shakes her, "Not exactly. I mean, after we came back here, she went out and I stayed in my room. Not exactly a ton to do here in this town after all."

"Did you see her when she came back? Know who she went out with?" Katniss continues; the grip on my hand a slight bit tighter.

The other woman stands taller and then steps back, "Why don't you guys come in since you have so many questions about my cousin and all."

We go in, following Johanna to the living room and sit down on the couch when she waves her hand at it. Sitting in a fluffy chair across from us, she asks, "Alright, what's up? Because when she came home last night, I was already asleep and she had left for school already when I came back from my jog this morning. Did she do something stupid? I mean, more stupid than she normally does?"

Katniss snorts and I shake my head at her. I answer before she can. "Glimmer's telling everyone at school that Katniss gave her the black eye she's sporting."

Johanna's eyes go wide and smacks her leg loudly, "I knew it! That fucker hit her again!"

"Again?" Both Katniss and I say at the same time, but it's me who continues, "He's done it before, to her?"

"Fuck yeah! I told her to dump his ass. I mean, she's a pretty girl and it's not like he's the hottest guy in that school. I mean hell his dick can't be that great." She answers with a snort. "I mean, I'm guessing you must have lucked out with him, because Glimmer would not shut up about Peeta being 'such a great guy' and how 'cute' he is…."

I wave my hands, making her stop and smile. "Alright, so what, she went out with Cato last night and now she has a black eye. You said he's done it before?"

Johanna rolls her eyes, "Yeah, but never so that anyone could see it. He was good about hiding the bruises he left, but I've seen her change a few times. It's not pretty and I guarantee that she uses a lot of make-up to hide that shit so no one will see. I wonder why she didn't just cover this one up too."

"Because she has someone else to blame now. For whatever reason, she has it in her head that Katniss is a good substitute. She told me she doesn't like Katniss and she knows Katniss isn't fond of her, but what the hell?"

"She told you that when?" Katniss asks me and I remember that I didn't tell her what happened while I was waiting for her during math.

"When I was in the hallway, waiting for you to finish your test, she came walking through and I asked her why she lied and that's what she said, that you two didn't like each other and it was easier this way." I look directly into those gray eyes that I adore so much and add, "She's afraid of Cato. It's that simple really. We just need to figure out a way to get her to admit it. Johanna, why do you think she won't tell anyone about Cato beating her up?"

"Because it would just be that much worse for her. I mean, I know she tried to tell her parents one night and they didn't believe her because at the time, she had no bruises to show them. She had been all healed and she was fresh off of cheerleading practice, where she would probably get just as many, but in different spots." She shakes her head sadly, "She figures if she can't convince her parents, then no other adult will believe her."

"Then she's not talking to the right adult. My mom's a nurse, she'll know, especially if she's had broken bones." Katniss chimes in and then asks one more question, "Is he the reason her arm was broken last year? I didn't even think they dated back then."

"No, that was actually from cheer, she landed wrong or something. But they've only been dating a couple of months, like since school started or something." I answer for Johanna. Katniss gives me this look of 'how do you know that?' and I continue, "They were in the gym practicing when we had practice too. And Cato has only recently been talking about what a good bang she is. I mean, he isn't one to shy away from talking about how much he gets and from who."

Katniss wrinkles her nose in disgust and I nod, "Exactly, he's not a gentleman in any way. I mean, this is the same guy who thinks that if you sleep with enough girls, you will be the leader of the pack type. I don't even know where he gets that mentality, but that's how he thinks."

"This is why he wants Katniss." We all turn to the voice coming from the other side of the room. Glimmer is leaning against the wall, looking to each of us slowly. She pushes herself up and walks towards us. "But he has to sleep with her friend first, that way she can tell Katniss how good he is in bed."

Katniss looks at her, shaking her head. "What are you talking about? Which friend and why would I sleep with Cato when I haven't even slept with Peeta yet?"

"You haven't? Why the hell not? He's packing in those jeans." Glimmer replies, eyeing me and I turn my body so that I'm facing Katniss, feeling very much on display.

"Why are you looking if Cato's so damn big?" Katniss retorts and I feel like I'm about to be in the middle of a cat fight. She stands up and Glimmer takes a step back. "And why don't you turn the asshole in for what he does to you and stop worrying about what Peeta and I do or don't do."

"Because he'd kill me, alright!" Glimmer yells back and then slams her hand over her mouth as her face turns red when she realizes what just came out of her mouth. I stand up then and look at her,

"What the fuck, Glimmer! Turn him in; you can get a restraining order against him. Beating you and threatening to kill you, fuck!" Now I'm pissed and wish that he came walking through the door right now so I could punch him. He wouldn't bother any girl ever again after that.


End file.
